A 330 kilovolt transmission line project, which was set to be located between Tamworth and Gunnedah, has been canned by it's proponent, potentially costing the region thousands of jobs.
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The New England Transmission Infrastructure (NETI) project was set to link up to the likes of solar and battery farms to enable up to 1400 MW of new renewable energy generation capacity.
Lumea, the commercial arm of TransGrid, last week made the decision to "not move forward" with the scheme.
First touted in 2019, it was set to provide 2000 construction jobs and 150 ongoing operational roles, meaning the total loss of the project would be a kick in the guts to the region.
Lumea said in a statement that a change in circumstances from 2019 meant the company wanted to move in another direction, although the New England Connection Capacity Auction (NECCA) process confirmed there was significant interest from other parties.
"While NECCA unequivocally confirmed that there is merit in capital funded development, the NECCA project was developed in 2019, prior to the NSW Government's Energy Roadmap," it read.
"The roadmap, along with various regulatory and policy shifts made since the commencement, mean that there are now many more possibilities to drive the transition to renewable energy.
"Lumea's focus remains on providing solutions to accelerate the energy transition. This will be done through the NSW Energy Roadmap and associated opportunities, and therefore the proposed NETI project will not move forward."
However, the project may not yet be dead and buried, with the NECCA process attracting 23 submissions. Ten participants representing 25 projects were then taken through the 'request for capacity' stage, which occurred in December 2020.
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That saw interest expressed in PV solar generation and associated battery storage, which led Lumea to select four participants for the development phase.
Chief executive Richard Lowe said he believed there was a possibility some aspects of the NETI would be carried on by other parties.
"Lumea's focus remains providing solutions to accelerate this transition, including the NSW Energy Road map and associated opportunities, and we are delighted to have laid the foundations for our customers to take elements of the New England Transmission Infrastructure (NETI) project forward," he said.
The company was unable to provide details as to what parties were interested, or how much they had been willing to invest in the project, as it was under commercial confidence.
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