AUSTRALIA'S NEW SOUTH WALES OPENS LARGEST ENERGY STORAGE TENDER

SYDNEY, May 31 (Bernama-Xinhua) -- Australia's New South Wales (NSW) said on Friday that the state has opened the largest energy storage tender in its history, seeking new projects to boost electricity reliability, reported Xinhua.

According to a statement released by the NSW government, long-duration storage programmes can bid for financial support under the new tender, which can offer support for up to one gigawatt of projects, with each able to release energy into the NSW grid for at least eight hours.

The state government calculated that the energy stored within one gigawatt of eight-hour long-duration storage is equivalent to the daily energy consumption of about 505,000 households.

The new tender is expected to take the state closer to its target of two gigawatts of new long-duration storage by 2030.

Meanwhile, the NSW government also announced the opening of a second Renewable Energy Zone for business, with applications now being accepted for the right to connect projects in the South West Renewable Energy Zone around Hay.

There would be an initial 3.98 gigawatts of access rights up for grabs, which could unlock the ability to generate enough electricity to power more than 1.9 million households.

"Opening this tender for long-duration storage projects and access to a second Renewable Energy Zone are milestones in the Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap," said Penny Sharpe, the state's minister for climate change and energy.

"They will deliver projects that ensure NSW has enough renewable energy generation and storage when coal-fired power stations retire. They also give certainty to investors and communities," the minister added.

--BERNAMA-XINHUA