NSW households to save $130 on power bills under new energy supply plan
Households are forecast to save $130 a year and small businesses $430 year on their power bills under the state’s 20 year plan to deliver new electricity infrastructure.
NSW
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Households are forecast to save $130 a year and small businesses $430 year on their power bills under the state’s 20 year plan to deliver new electricity infrastructure.
The road map, which will lay out a plan to deliver renewable energy zones, energy storage and on demand supply including gas and batteries, will drive 9000 jobs and $32 billion in private investment into the regions.
It maps a course to set up new energy supply as the lifespans of the state’s power stations come to an end and will support 6300 construction jobs and 2800 ongoing jobs, mostly in regional NSW in 2030.
Energy Minister Matt Kean and Deputy Premier John Barilaro both support the plan, which bring renewable energy infrastructure to regional NSW in the form of “renewable energy zones”, where the private sector invests and builds.
The entire plan will support the private sector to deliver 12 gigawatts of renewable energy and 2 gigawatts of storage online by 2030, ensuring the state can keep the lights on, the government says.
The plan will cut red tape and speed up approvals for transmission infrastructure in renewable energy zones - regional areas set aside in NSW for investment in renewable infrastructure.
The first is near Dubbo and is expected to be shovel ready by 2022, able to power 1.4 million homes and to provide $5.2 billion in investment by 2030.
The government believes the plan will create a long term investment signal for new generation in renewable energy zones, long duration storage such as pumped hydro and on demand supply like gas and batteries.
Deputy Premier John Barilaro said the road map will deliver Australia’s first
renewable energy zones in the Central West and New England regions by 2030.
“The stimulus the Renewable Energy Zones will provide to regional communities will
unlock over 9,000 new jobs and will be a huge boost to farmers and land owners, with
$1.5 billion in lease payments expected to go to landholders hosting new infrastructure
by 2042,” Mr Barilaro said.
“The Road map will make sure that renewables are developed where regional
communities want them and where they are compatible with farming.”
Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said the plan would deliver some of the cheapest energy prices in the OECD and shore up energy security.
Energy Minister Matt Kean said: “Our priority is to keep the lights on and get power prices down, with the Road map forecast to save NSW households an average of $130 and small businesses an
average of $430 on their electricity bills each year.”
“NSW has some of the best natural resources in the world and this Road map is about
acting now to leverage our competitive advantage and to position NSW as an energy
superpower.”
Opposition energy spokesman Adam Searle cautiously welcomed the energy road map, saying Labor would provide “in principle support” to the measures.
However he said Labor wanted more focus on how the proposals support local jobs.
“Our key objective will be to ensure that customers do not pay more and NSW workers and businesses get their fair share of the jobs that will come from the investment in new energy generation, storage, and firming,” he said.