NSW Government declares the South West Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) Access Scheme

A message from EnergyCo

The NSW Government has declared the South West Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) Access Scheme, the second of its kind after the Central-West Orana REZ Access Scheme.

View the South West REZ Access Scheme Declaration

Access schemes are a key part of the NSW Government’s work to coordinate and encourage investment in REZs. The South West REZ Access Scheme will deliver benefits to consumers, host communities and investors.

Consultation

More than 40 submissions were received during the consultation process from March 2023 to February 2024 to inform the final declaration.

Following consultation on the initial Draft South West REZ Access Scheme from March 2023, a refined Draft Access Scheme was published in December 2023 to address stakeholder feedback.

Next steps

Generation and storage projects that wish to connect to network infrastructure which is subject to an access scheme will need to apply for an access right through a competitive tender or allocation process.

Projects will be able to bid for access rights as part of a tender run by AEMO Services commencing in Q2 2024.

For more information, including details on how the access scheme declaration interacts with the connection process please visit the EnergyCo website or contact south.west@energyco.nsw.gov.au.