Key Takeaways
-
NSW has granted grid access to ten major renewable energy projects totaling over 7 GW, marking a significant step toward replacing coal power with clean energy across the state.
-
Foreign companies including Lightsource bp (UK), ACEN Renewables (Philippines), and Tilt Renewables (New Zealand) are among the key players driving this large-scale investment in solar, wind, and battery infrastructure.
Several foreign-owned energy companies have emerged as major beneficiaries of a landmark New South Wales (NSW) government decision to grant grid access to ten large-scale renewable projects within the Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone (REZ). The projects, totalling over 7 GW in capacity, include wind, solar, and battery storage developments that will supply power to millions of NSW homes.
Among the successful international firms are UK-based Lightsource bp, which secured access for its 700 MW Sandy Creek solar farm, and ACEN Renewables, the Philippine-owned clean energy group behind the 919 MW Valley of the Winds wind project. Both were also awarded federal support under the Capacity Investment Scheme (CIS), alongside Australian firm Squadron Energy.
New Zealand-owned Tilt Renewables and Pacific Partnerships, a subsidiary of global infrastructure giant CIMIC Group (majority-owned by Germany’s HOCHTIEF), also feature among the winners.
The projects are expected to deliver significant environmental and economic benefits, including over 3,000 construction jobs and the avoidance of more than 10 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually by 2031. Construction of the REZ infrastructure is scheduled to begin within months, reinforcing NSW’s transition to a clean energy future.
See link to article here.