Walcha Energy, developer of the 4GW wind, solar, battery and pumped hydro project in the New England Renewable Energy Zone (REZ), strongly endorses the announcement by the NSW Government of its innovative green hydrogen strategy.

“As the developer of the largest integrated renewable energy project in the NEM we are delighted that NSW has embraced the green hydrogen opportunity. We agree that NSW can become an energy superpower.” Simon Currie, Director of Walcha Energy, said today.

The Walcha Energy Project has been in development for over a decade and in 2019 the first stage, the 700MW Winterbourne Wind Farm, was sold to leading global wind technology supplier Vestas.

A key element of the project is WalchaLink, a private transmission line, which will connect the Walcha plateau directly to the Hunter Valley.

Walcha Energy is accelerating the development of the next stages of the project, including the 350MW Salisbury Solar Farm, 200MW Uralla Hub BESS, the 860MW Ruby Hills Wind Farm, the 330kV Uralla Renewable Energy Hub, the 300MW Dungowan pumped hydro energy storage project and further wind and solar projects which form part of the project.

“Yesterday’s publication from TransGrid predicts that all of the coal-fired generation in NSW will close by 2032. The size of the opportunity and challenge in NSW is immense and projects like Walcha Energy will be needed to rapidly transition our power sector and develop a thriving domestic and export industry for green hydrogen and e-fuels.” Mark Waring, founder of Mirus Wind, said.

Benefits of complementary renewable energy resources on Walcha plateau

Walcha Energy is perfectly placed to support the development of green hydorgen industry in NSW because of the quality of the renewable energy resources on the Walcha plateau and its proximity to the Hunter Valley.

Walcha Energy commissioned the leading consultancy Aurecon to develop a model which used 10 years of actual wind data from our mast on the plateau and daily solar radiation to demonstrate the complementarity of the wind and solar resources.

This combined profile will help drive efficient utilisation of grid infrastructure. When coupled with the long duration energy storage options which can be developed on the plateau and down in the Hunter Valley it can drive high levels of utilisation of the electrolysers which are needed to achieve the LCOH (levelized cost of hydrogen) necessary to be competitive for local demand and exports.

Benefits for the region

Walcha Energy is actively supporting the Hunter Hydrogen Network (H2N) which is being led by Energy Estate. H2N is a large-scale hydrogen production, transportation and export project, creating Australia’s first “Hydrogen Valley”. It will unlock the potential renewable energy resources of the Central West, New England and Hunter Valley/Central Coast REZs in NSW, to produce green hydrogen and e-fuels.

Walcha Energy has pioneered an innovative benefit sharing and ownership model for host landowners, near neighbours, distant neighbors and the wider community. Walcha Energy is committed to maximising local content and enhancing local supply chains for the renewable energy and green hydrogen sectors. The commitment from the NSW Government to encourage local supply chains is strongly supported by us and we look forward to working with the NSW Government enduring jobs in the New England region as well as across NSW.

About Walcha Energy

Walcha Energy is a partnership between Energy Estate and Mirus Wind to develop over 4,000MW of wind, solar and pumped storage hydro in the New England REZ. The Walcha Energy Project is the largest single renewable energy project being developed in the NEM. The project is situated around the town of Walcha, located approximately 55km south of Armidale on the New England Tableland, in New South Wales, Australia.