Emissions reduction target a bold step forward for nation’s clean energy future

Australia’s renewable energy transition and the broader decarbonisation of the economy will be a major contributor to meeting the 62 to 70 per cent reduction in emissions compared with 2005 levels.

“Our transmission network is at the heart of the National Electricity Market and is vital to achieving the nation’s net-zero emissions targets,” Transgrid CEO Brett Redman said.

“Transgrid is delivering major transmission projects to connect geographically disperse renewable generation to the national grid, delivering cleaner and more affordable energy to millions of consumers.

“At the same time, we are planning for growth in electricity demand over the medium to long term as transport, buildings and industry electrify. Electrification is important for economy-wide decarbonisation and will be essential for Australia to meet its net-zero targets.”

Transgrid’s nation-critical projects EnergyConnect, HumeLink and VNI West are crucial to integrating new solar, wind and hydro generation into the National Electricity Market and strengthening connections between NSW, Victoria and South Australia to increase sharing of renewable energy.

“As NSW enters the ‘deep transition’ phase, we must accelerate the buildout of renewable generation, storage and transmission if the state is going to reach our forecast 90% clean energy threshold by 2035,” Mr Redman said.

“It will take the aligned efforts of governments, regulators and the entire energy sector to ensure renewable generation and security services are ready on time as coal retires.

“We congratulate the Commonwealth Government on this ambitious level of transformation to cut emissions, deliver cleaner and more affordable electricity and position Australia as a global leader in renewable energy.

“Transgrid looks forward to continuing to work collaboratively with Commonwealth and state governments, communities, landowners and industry partners to realise our clean energy future and meet this emissions reduction target by 2035.”

How Transgrid is helping to deliver the transition to renewable energy 

• Working closely with the Commonwealth and state governments to find ways to accelerate projects that will help deliver the energy transition. 
• Record growth in generator connections has been recorded over the past 12 months, resulting in more than 6.6 GW of new clean energy coming online. 
• Planning for new sources of system strength including synchronous condensers is well advanced to keep the heartbeat of the NSW power system strong and more rapidly accommodate renewable energy generation. 
• Construction of EnergyConnect, linking NSW, South Australia and Victoria, is proceeding at pace, with the 159km western section completed and energised, and the 540km transmission line on the eastern alignment more than 80% complete.
• Preliminary works for the HumeLink project, connecting Snowy 2.0 and other renewable generators to the national grid, are well advanced with major construction works to get underway in coming weeks.
• Planning for VNI West (NSW) to connect the high-voltage electricity grids in NSW and Victoria is on schedule with the recent public exhibition of the project’s Environmental Impact Statement.

Media enquiries: Levi Joule 0481 112 074