The Australian federal government has granted approval for a significant transmission infrastructure project in New South Wales (NSW), paving the way for the deployment of at least 4.5 GW of renewable energy capacity. The approval, issued by federal environment minister Tanya Plibersek on Thursday, follows a recent planning approval by the NSW government.

The Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) transmission project will see the installation of approximately 240 km (149.1 mi) of new transmission lines within the region. These lines will connect large-scale renewable and energy storage facilities to the national power grid, facilitating up to $13.12 billion in private investment for solar, wind, and energy storage projects. This investment aims to power around 1.8 million homes in NSW.

The project will be supported by $321.4 million in federal funding from the government's Rewiring the Nation Fund. The project is expected to reach financial close in the second half of 2024, with construction starting late next year and the new transmission lines becoming operational by 2028. Both federal and state permits for the project include stringent conditions to ensure the protection of the environment.

Source: renewablesnow.com