Central-West Orana was the first Renewable Energy Zones (REZ) formed in Australia and covers an area of 20,000 square kilometers. It will initially entail the deployment of 4.5GW of transmitted electricity, powering 1.8 million homes, which will grow to 6GW by 2038.
The project includes 90 kilometres of 500kV transmission lines and 150 kilometres of 330kV transmission lines to connect several renewable energy generation facilities to the grid.
They will extend from Elong Elong in the west to Barigan Creek in the east via the Merotherie power centre, with eight substations.
ACEREZ, a consortium formed by ACCIONA, Cobra and Endeavour Energy, will develop the REZ in New South Wales for EnergyCo - the government agency responsible for developing the REZ.
The new infrastructure, one of Australia’s largest green power grids, will bring significant economic benefits to the region, with AU$10 billion (€6.2 billion) of expected private investment through 2030 and the creation of 5,000 jobs during the construction phase.
Apical was selected as the approvals consultants to develop templates for the site’s Construction Environment Management Plan (CEMP) and associated Sub-Plans. The templates were developed in accordance with the requirements of the State Significant Infrastructure Approval and were prepared to assist the site environment and planning team in preparing the environmental management documentation for the Project.