A new roadmap out of gridlock for the national electricity grid has been developed to fast-track projects that have been on the drawing board for years. Releasing the 30-year plan for the National Electricity Market (NEM) amid an energy crisis, the market operator on Thursday acknowledged the need for new investment has "gathered momentum" in recent months.
There will be moments when there is enough renewable energy to meet 100 per cent of demand, the 2022 Integrated System Plan (ISP) shows, but the NEM must constantly supply affordable and reliable electricity to homes and businesses.
More than 10,000km of new transmission is needed to connect the increasingly diverse and geographically spread energy supply, as communities and industry move beyond a grid that relied on a handful of coal-fired power plants.
Mr Westerman said state and territory government energy policies have long called for new investment, and the new federal government's Rewiring the Nation policy will support its "timely" roll out.
Read the full article published in the Newcastle Herald 30th June 2022