The state government of New South Wales (NSW) in Australia has launched a Renewable Energy Planning Framework designed to expedite planning decisions, ensure investment certainty, and enhance economic benefits for regional communities.
This initiative aligns with the NSW government’s Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap and emissions reduction targets, addressing local demands for greater transparency in renewable energy project assessments.
The framework presents a set of guidelines for wind energy, transmission, solar energy, benefit sharing, and private agreement.
It introduces setbacks to mitigate visual impacts from wind and transmission projects, updates hypothetical dwelling assessments, and outlines how renewable project benefits should be directly shared with regions.
This is anticipated to contribute more than A$400m ($261m) to community and local government initiatives.
The framework is a crucial component of the government’s strategy to supply clean, affordable energy, as well as lower emissions, create jobs, and relieve electricity price pressures in regional economies.
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By GlobalDataAlongside the framework, the NSW government has published the Renewable Energy Transition Update, summarising progress towards a sustainable energy system.
Since last April, the NSW government has approved 29 renewable energy and transmission projects, equating to 5.7GW of new generation and 6.3GW of storage capacity.
The Central West Orana Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) transmission project has received planning approval, and six projects have been declared Critical State Significant Infrastructure.
Furthermore, the NSW government stated that it is exploring ways to fast-track assessments and manage the transition’s impacts, focusing on cumulative effects in REZs such as traffic, housing, social infrastructure, water security, and waste management.
NSW Minister for Climate Change and Energy Penny Sharpe said: “NSW is leading a once-in-a-generation upgrade of the electricity network, building the infrastructure we need to keep the lights on and put downward pressure on prices. We are working across government to reduce barriers to investment and deliver lasting benefits to regional communities.
“Having a clear, transparent planning system will pave the way for a reliable and clean energy system.”
In May this year, the NSW Government launched a tender to secure 1GW of eight-hour energy storage capacity.
