New South Wales (NSW) transmission network owner Transgrid said the western section of the EnergyConnect project has now been energised and inter-network testing of the new tri-state high-voltage transmission line has commenced.
EnergyConnect, a joint venture between Transgrid and South Australia network operator ElectraNet, is a 900-kilometre transmission line linking Wagga Wagga in southwest NSW to Robertstown in South Australia via Buronga, with an additional ‘spur’ link between Buronga and Red Cliffs in northwest Victoria. When complete, the interconnector is expected to provide 800 MW of nominal transfer capacity in both directions.
Transgrid said its western section, stretching 135 km from Buronga to the South Australian border is now complete and the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) has commenced inter-network testing to ensure 150 MW of power transfer capability can be safely supplied between the states.
The 24 km line from Buronga substation to the Red Cliffs substation in Victoria was successfully commissioned at the end of August with a second circuit between these two substations commencing testing in the coming weeks.
Construction of the 206 km South Australian component of the transmission project was completed late last year.
Transgrid Chief Executive Officer Brett Redman said the EnergyConnect project is a “game-changer” for Australia’s energy future and will enable renewable energy to be shared directly between the three states for the first time.
“Inter-network testing has commenced on these new lines, putting us a step closer to being able to transfer renewable energy directly between NSW, South Australia and Victoria for the first time,” he said.
“EnergyConnect is our first big transmission project in 30 years and it’s the absolute bow wave for Australia’s energy transition. It will provide system security and access to cleaner and cheaper electricity for consumers well into the future.”
Transgrid said construction continues on the remaining 540 km eastern NSW section of EnergyConnect between Buronga and Wagga Wagga. Works are also continuing across the Buronga, Dinawan, and Wagga Wagga substation.
The first major new transmission line to be built in Australia for about 15 years, EnergyConnect has long been deemed by AEMO as one of the cornerstone projects for the transformation of the national power grid, helping to support rising renewable energy volumes and the decline of coal-fired power stations.
The project will also reduce the risk of South Australia being “islanded” when its existing connection to the National Electricity Market, via Victoria, is lost.
The full transfer capacity of up to 800 MW is expected to come online in July 2027, 12 months later than previously scheduled.
