NSW shortlists 4.3 GW of projects in inaugural renewables tender

New South Wales has shortlisted 16 projects envisaging the deployment of more than 4.3 GW of power generation and storage capacity to proceed in the first round of tenders aimed to facilitate the creation of a large renewable energy zone.

The state government announced on Friday that the proposals, specific details about which were not available, will be reviewed by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO). The shortlisted candidates have a deadline until February 10 to submit their financial value bids.

Following the assessment, the successful projects will be awarded long-term energy service agreements.

The inaugural tender under the state’s Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap has been met with “overwhelming investor interest,” said Energy Minister Matt Kean. According to the government’s data, the procurement round lured bids for more than 5.5 GW of wind and solar generation capacity and over 2.5 GW of long-duration energy storage proposals.

In October 2022, New South Wales launched a renewable energy and storage policy tied to the creation of five massive Renewable Energy Zones across the state. The state then set an objective to build 12 GW of renewable energy capacity and 2 GW of long-duration storage like pumped hydro by 2030 and unveiled plans to facilitate the process by holding bi-annual tenders over a period of 10 years.

New South Wales expects the tender programme to attract AUD 32 billion (USD 22.7bn/EUR 20.9bn) in private investments.

(AUD 1.0 = USD 0.7103/EUR 0.653)

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