$100 billion of investment lodged in Hunter-Central Coast Renewable Energy Zone registration of interest

The NSW government announced commercial interest has been registered for more than 80 projects in the zone across the fields of solar energy, onshore and offshore wind energy, large-scale batteries and pumped hydro projects. The projects together have the potential to deliver more than 100,000 gigawatt hours of renewable energy a year - equivalent to the annual output of up to 10 coal fired power stations.

It comes after the government in December called for interest from renewable energy project developers and businesses with large electrical loads to be part of a proposed zone, which will essentially act as a modern day power plant to provide electricity to the region and support system reliability as coal-fired stations retire.

The government has offered incentives for businesses to set up in the zone.

NSW Treasurer and Energy Minister Matt Kean said the response showed the region would continue to be the "energy powerhouse of NSW" long into the future.

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"These results show that energy investors see the Hunter and Central Coast as some of the best investment destinations anywhere in the country, which will translate into jobs and prosperity for the region," Mr Kean said.

"Renewable Energy Zones are vital to ensuring the future reliability and affordability of electricity in NSW as traditional coal fired power stations close down over the coming decades."

The REZ was announced in 2020 as part of the government's statewide renewable energy infrastructure roadmap, which aims to encourage $32 billion worth of private spending on renewable technology over 20 years.

Upper Hunter MP Dave Layzell said the Hunter-Central Coast zone would provide a boost to the region.

"The Hunter-Central Coast region is the perfect location for a new REZ as it has good renewable energy resources, access to transmission, transport and port infrastructure, and most importantly, a highly skilled workforce," Mr Layzell said.

Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast, Adam Crouch said the region was set to reap jobs from the registered interest and investment rewards from the transformation of the energy system.

"The REZ will not only attract investment in clean energy, it will also underpin the growth of new low carbon industries such as green hydrogen, ammonia and metals production which the world is going to need as it decarbonises," Mr Crouch said.

The local proposal follows the development of other Renewable Energy Zones across the state, including Central West Orana, New England and South West regions, which have attracted a combined 95 gigawatts of interest.

The government said the Energy Corporation of NSW (EnergyCo) was in the early stages of planning the Hunter-Central Coast REZ and will be using this information to inform its timing, capacity and boundaries, while engaging with industry, local government, communities and other stakeholders.

It is expected that the Hunter-Central Coast REZ will be formally declared under the NSW government's Electricity Roadmap legislation by midway through this year.

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