Australia accelerates approval for 25 GW of renewables projects
More than 16 GW of solar and wind generation and approximately 6 GW of energy storage projects could benefit from an accelerated environmental approvals process as the Australian government works to deliver critical infrastructure needed to achieve its clean energy targets, including 82% renewable electricity by 2030.
More than 16 GW of solar and wind generation and approximately 6 GW of energy storage projects could benefit from an accelerated environmental approvals process as the Australian government works to deliver critical infrastructure needed to achieve its clean energy targets, including 82% renewable electricity by 2030.
The Australian government, in conjunction with states and territories, has announced a list of renewable energy generation, storage, and transmission projects of national significance that stand to gain increased regulatory support as they maneuver through the approvals process.
Projects included on the National Renewable Energy Priority List, released by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW), will benefit from a streamlined assessment and approval process under the federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act.
“The Priority List adopts a ‘faster to yes, faster to no’ approach,” the DCCEEW said. “Identified projects will receive additional support and facilitation through regulatory and environmental processes,” noting that “they will still have the same scrutiny applied as any other project and continue to be required to meet all statutory requirements.”
The inaugural Priority List – restricted to projects greater than 30 MW and scheduled for completion by Dec. 31, 2031 – includes 32 renewable energy generation and storage projects across the nation featuring solar, wind, battery and pumped hydro technologies.
If approved through Commonwealth, state and territory regulatory planning and environmental processes, the projects could deliver an additional 16.5 GW of generation and 6.3 GW of storage capacity.
“Nationally, these generation projects can provide the annual electricity needs for over 9 million homes,” the DCCEEW said. “The storage projects could meet peak energy demand for over 5 million homes for up to four hours.”
The rolling Priority List also includes 24 key transmission projects that the DCCEEW said will support the integration of renewables into the grid.
The initiative is backed by AIUD 134.2 million ($84.56 million) in federal government funding that the DCCEEW said will provide increased regulatory capacity and enable the department to enhance its services for identified priority projects.
The suite of additional services is to include additional engagement and guidance to identify and resolve potential issues early with targeted support to be negotiated with project proponents based on their status in the regulatory pathway.
“Project support will be developed on a case-by-case basis according to the needs of individual identified projects,” the department said. “This will reduce risk of delays to timeframes … [and] help proponents to accelerate their own project assessment time frames.”
The department said the Priority List will be updated regularly to support continued facilitation of projects through the regulatory pathways and projects may remain on the list after they have received approval from the Commonwealth Environment Regulator to support them through post-approval conditions.
What's Your Reaction?
