Today’s announcement by the NSW Minister for Energy, Penny Sharpe, to direct a tender for the supply of 500 MW of additional firming capacity in NSW, was welcomed by the clean energy industry, following the Minister’s address at the Clean Energy Council’s 2025 Australian Clean Energy Summit in Sydney today - a move the peak body says will safeguard NSW amid a forecast energy shortfall in 2027-28.
Clean Energy Council General Manager - Advocacy and Investment, Anna Freeman, said the announcement is welcome news for the industry and commended the Minns Government for its leadership in ensuring the State’s energy security.
It is good to see the NSW Government taking action to ensure system reliability, as our fleet of coal-fired generators retire and come of age. The decision is likely to attract even stronger investment across NSW for the storage infrastructure needed to ensure the lights stay on as coal is phased out.Anna Freeman Clean Energy Council General Manager - Advocacy & Investment
"Investing in clean energy firming or storage technologies, such as large-scale Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), will ensure the efficiency and stability of the electricity grid is maintained, avoiding an energy shortfall in NSW.
“Today’s announcement is the latest step taken by the Minns Government to ensure that the clean energy transition delivers on its potential to deliver cleaner, more reliable and lower cost power. It's good news for industry, good news for the people of NSW and for all energy consumers connected to the National Electricity Market,” she said.
Under the terms of the tender, which is to be conducted by ASL (formerly AEMO Services), firming infrastructure, such as BESS technology will be built and prioritised in the Sydney-Newcastle-Wollongong sub-region.
ENDS
For more information or to arrange an interview, contact:
Liam Straughan
Clean Energy Council Media Officer
+61 409 470 683