Renewable Energy Zones are key to Accelerating our Energy Transition

A once-in-a-century transformation of the way we generate and consume electricity is underway as we replace legacy fossil fuel-based assets with zero-carbon renewable energy sources, add storage solutions and firming capacity, and reconfigure the grid to support two-way energy flow.

In response, electricity transmission utilities globally are grappling with providing enough location-specific capacity to support the rapidly expanding renewable energy generation industry. In Australia and New Zealand, limited large-scale transmission projects have been developed over the last few decades, and the need for transmission infrastructure is slowing the energy transition. Renewable energy zones (REZs) have emerged as a promising path to meet the expanding needs of communities and help our collective net zero vision.

REZs centralise investment, enabling multiple generation parties to co-locate and share common transmission and grid connection infrastructure. They unlock benefits like economies of scale through shared infrastructure costs, accelerating the timely connection of large-scale generation, incentivising regional investment and helping meet government-mandated renewable energy targets.

AECOM has been at the forefront of REZ development in Australia, assisting transmission network utilities and government entities in developing these projects. In this course, we share key learnings and what we need to mobilise future projects.

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

1. Understand the need for adapting transmission project delivery in the energy sector to meet the demands of faster timelines and large-scale projects
2. Understand the impact of leveraging diverse skill sets from aligned industries like transport and oil and gas in enabling the energy sector to be more agile in project development