A new substation and renewable energy hub for New England 

The tablelands of the New England region of NSW have significant renewable energy resources. The renewable energy potential of the region has been recognised by the NSW Government, Transgrid and AEMO. The New England Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) has been included in AEMO's recently published Integrated System Plan.

In order to maximise the potential of the New England REZ new transmission infrastructure will be required. 
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The Proposal
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The Walcha Energy Project engaged Aurecon, the leading engineering consultancy and grid specialists, to advise on the connection options for the Project. Aurecon was requested to focus on “best for system” outcomes and how to facilitate development of the New England REZ generally and not just the interests of the Project.
 
The proposed solution is the development of the Uralla 330kV substation (Uralla RE Hub). This major new substation would be located 30km south of Armidale and would operate as a new grid ‘hub’ supporting the development of the New England REZ and delivering system strength and flexibility for NSW. The Uralla RE Hub would enable new transmission lines stretching from Armidale to the Hunter Valley. The Uralla RE Hub is aligned with the concepts for the region outlined in Transgrid’s 2018 Transmission Annual Planning Report and the NSW Transmission Infrastructure Strategy released in November 2018.
 
The Uralla RE Hub would serve as the connection point for the first stage of the Walcha Energy Project. A distinguishing feature is that the Uralla RE Hub would be available as a connection point for other developers in this part of the New England REZ. This would help reduce system costs and the number of connection points at this critical point in NSW’s transmission network. 

The Benefits
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The benefits of the Uralla RE Hub and a new connection point in New England are significant and will have a positive impact locally, regionally and nationally. The benefits of the Uralla RE Hub include:

• Helping to facilitate the development and connection of renewable projects in the New England REZ. Thousands of MWs of new generation will be needed to replace the Hunter Valley coal-fired power stations. The New England REZ is located close to the existing generation and development of the renewable energy resources within this zone will facilitate the transition of the NSW energy sector. 
• Helping to ease congestion on existing 330kV transmission lines and substations in Armidale and Tamworth.
• Setting the stage for the development of a second NSW - Queensland interconnector. Stakeholders recognise the need for greater interconnection between the States in order to maximise the use of our abundant renewable energy resources and deliver affordable clean energy to users across the NEM.
• Reduce system costs by encouraging developers to work together to achieve the best outcome for the system.

The Opportunity
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We believe that the Uralla RE Hub represents an opportunity to drive significant economic development for the New England region. The pipeline of new projects in the planning system and connection process is much greater than the existing transmission capacity. The Walcha Energy Project is committed to working collaboratively with other renewable energy developers and relevant stakeholders to deliver the Uralla RE Hub. In other States and globally we have seen the benefit derived from shared connection facilities and new hubs which support the development of large scale new renewable energy projects across a region and reduce system costs.