New England Renewable Energy Zone

The New England REZ was formally declared by the Minister for Energy under section 19(1) of the Electricity Infrastructure Investment Act 2020 (the EII act) and published in the NSW Gazette on 17 December 2021. 

View the Renewable Energy Zone (New England) Declaration Order.

The REZ declaration is the first step in formalising the REZ under the act and establishes EnergyCo as the infrastructure planner responsible for coordinating the development of the REZ. It also sets out the intended network capacity (size), geographical area (location) and infrastructure that will make up the REZ, and enables and sets the scope of key legislative functions under the act, including access schemes and REZ network solutions (referred to in the act as ‘REZ network infrastructure projects’).

As infrastructure planner, EnergyCo will make decisions such as assessing and recommending REZ network infrastructure projects and, if needed to maintain community support for the REZ, preventing generation or storage projects from connecting in a specified area within the REZ (if those projects have not received development consent).

The declaration follows an assessment of feedback received during the draft declaration exhibition period from 15 October to 12 November 2021. Minor adjustments to the geographical area have been made in response to the balanced consideration of proponent and community feedback. These amendments will also improve the delineation between areas captured within the REZ that are subject to potential future development and adjacent areas of national park and world heritage significance.

A stylised map of the specified geographical area of the REZ is included above for reference and accessibility purposes only. This stylised map does not form part of the declaration. The stylised map includes the existing 132 kV and 330 kV transmission infrastructure near and in the REZ as a geographical reference. You can download the GIS file of the New England REZ geographical area boundary in the location and maps section of this page.

In the future, the Minister may amend the declaration to expand the specified geographical area of the REZ, increase the intended network capacity, specify additional generation, storage and network infrastructure, provide further details and specifications or correct a minor error.

In August 2026, EnergyCo published an amendment to the New England REZ declaration to include a detailed description of the network infrastructure, including the energy hubs and transmission lines that extend outside the REZ geographical boundary to connect the REZ to the existing grid at Bayswater.

The amendment will ensure the declaration reflects our current planning for the New England REZ Network Infrastructure Project before the New England REZ Access Scheme is declared later this year.

The amendment won't change any features of the REZ, such as the geographical boundary or its network (transfer capacity), or the New England REZ Network Infrastructure Project as set out in the New England REZ Scoping Report. The REZ remains legislated under the Electricity Infrastructure Investment Act 2020, with an intended network capacity of 8 gigawatts.

Public consultation on the amendment was open from 6 August to 14 September 2026 and is now closed. 

Feedback was invited from renewable energy developers, industry stakeholders, local communities, and councils to identify if any clarifications were required before the amendment is finalised. 

Next steps

All submissions received on the amendment will be reviewed by EnergyCo prior to submitting the final amendment to the Minister for Energy for approval. Further updates will be published on the EnergyCo website.

Have questions about the proposed amendment?

Read our frequently asked questions (FAQs) for more information about what the amendment means for the New England REZ Network Infrastructure Project, including the project scope and approval processes.