Pumped Storage Hydro

NSW government declares three pumped storage hydro projects critical infrastructure

NSW government declares three pumped storage hydro projects critical infrastructure

The NSW Government has declared six renewable energy projects to be Critical State Significant Infrastructure (CSSI) given their potential significance to the economy, including three pumped storage hydro projects.

A CSSI declaration means a project is deemed essential to NSW for economic, social and environmental reasons, with the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces being the consent authority.

The new projects, if approved, will help maintain the state’s critical energy security and continue the essential energy supply to homes and businesses during peak-demand periods as coal-fired sources close, the government said.

A comprehensive all-of-government assessment will still need to be undertaken on the projects, including exhibition and an opportunity for submissions from the public.

The three proposed pumped hydro projects will provide reliable energy generation, capacity and dispatchable power when solar or wind resources are unavailable, the government said. They are:

Stratford Pumped Hydro and Solar: Will take advantage of existing mine voids and infrastructure associated with Stratford Mining Complex, due for closure in 2024.

Muswellbrook Pumped Hydro: To use an existing mine void at the closed Muswellbrook Coal Mine site as the lower reservoir and proposed to use an upper reservoir at Bells Mountain. Proposed capacity is 250 MW.

Lake Lyell Pumped Hydro: Will take advantage of existing infrastructure associated with the Mount Piper Power Station, due for decommissioning in 2040. Proposed capacity is 335 MW.

The other three CSSI projects are:

New England Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) Transmission: To connect renewable energy generation and storage projects within the REZ to the existing electricity network.

Victoria NSW Interconnector: To connect the HumeLink Project in NSW with the Western Victoria Transmission Network Project.

Mount Piper to Wallerawang Transmission: To strengthen connections between areas of renewable energy generation in the Central West Orana REZ and major electricity demand centers.

After the CSSI declaration, the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI) will issue Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements to the proponent so they can prepare an Environment Impact Statement (EIS) for community feedback.

Since 2023, the government has approved 24 renewable energy State Significant Development assessments with a combined energy capacity to power 1.5 million homes. There are up to 30 renewable energy projects under assessment. If approved, these projects could produce up to 12.1 GW of energy to power about 5.6 million homes. A further 87 projects — including solar, wind, battery storage and pumped hydro projects — are at various stages in the planning pipeline.