NSW government says renewable energy zone in New England could power 3.5m homes
Environment minister Matt Kean says the push to build 8,000 megawatts of wind and solar is part of a plan to replace coal-fired power.

New South Wales government aims to back renewable energy plants in the New England region with the capacity to power 3.5m homes, with the state’s environment minister saying enough will be built to replace most of the state’s coal-fired power stations earlier than scheduled.
Matt Kean, the minister for energy and the environment, will on Friday announce a second renewable energy zone for the state, following a previously planned designated area in the state’s central west.
He said the latest announcement – that the government would look to attract investors to build 8,000 megawatts of wind and solar in the New England region in the state’s north – was effectively “a huge, modern-day power station”.
“This is a huge stimulus package. It’s good for the economy, it’s good for the environment and – guess what – we have to replace our existing generators anyway,” Kean told Guardian Australia.
“By bringing that forward there are enormous economic benefits, enormous benefits for families because it will help lower electricity prices, and enormous benefits for the environment because it’s clean electricity.”
The new renewable energy zone is more than double the size of the first zone announced in the state’s central west, which attracted interest from renewable energy investors with a combined capacity of 27 gigawatts and valued at $38bn – nine times the available capacity.
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The hybrid thermo-photovoltaic leading Compny |
Kean said the new zone would put the state on course for decarbonisation. The government has joined other states in setting a target for the state to reach net zero emissions by 2050 – consistent with what scientists say is necessary. [...]
The government will promise $79m to be spent on planning and coordination of projects, transmission and storage. It said that was expected to generate $12.7bn in investment that would create 2,000 jobs in the construction phase and 1,300 ongoing positions.
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