These City REZs will unlock the state's largest untapped energy resource by supporting industrial precincts, commercial buildings, apartment complexes and local communities, to better utilise solar and battery technology, generating and storing power closer to where it is consumed.
The plan will also establish the Outback Renewable Energy Zone in the Far Westand review the scope and scale of the New England Renewable Energy Zone whichis significantly over budget and behind schedule.
Importantly, the review will prioritise upgrades to existing transmission infrastructure and remove the need for the proposed 500kV transmission line corridor.
Member for Hawkesbury, Robyn Preston said families and businesses acrossHawkesbury are paying more for power and deserve a practical plan to improveenergy security and reduce costs.
“For years now, Labor Government’s have promised a reduction in energy bills, but families and businesses across Hawkesbury are being hit harder than ever by the rising costs,” Ms Preston said. “Our plan puts the community at the centre of energy policy, finally putting a halt to the ever-increasing costs, providing the bill relief that people have been waiting years for.”
Leader of the Opposition, Kellie Sloane, said affordable and reliable energy wasessential to a strong economy.
"New South Wales needs new generation and storage as coal retires, but the transition must be affordable, deliverable and undertaken in partnership with communities.”
Leader of the NSW, Nationals Gurmesh Singh, said that under Labor,the state’s energy roadmap is becoming increasingly concentrated.
"Supporting new energy generation should not come at the expense of some of our most productive farmland. We have listened to local communities and are putting forward a practical plan that delivers energy security while reducing unnecessary impacts on landholders and the environment."
The Liberals and Nationals estimate the plan has the potential to unlock enough generation and storage capacity to power around 10 million homes, roughly equivalent to every household in Australia.
