New South Wales’ Central‑West Orana Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) has reached a key construction milestone, with the first transmission cables now strung between transmission towers.
The project is on track to be energised from 2028 and will unlock enough renewable energy and storage to power up to 2.7 million homes during periods of peak demand.
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ACEREZ, a partnership of ACCIONA, COBRA, and Endeavour Energy, has been appointed network operator by EnergyCo to design, build, finance, operate, and maintain the transmission network for the Central-West Orana REZ.
ACEREZ CEO Steve Masters said, “Every pull, every join, every metre of conductor brings us closer to delivering clean, reliable energy to homes and businesses across NSW.
“This is complex, highly coordinated work, and our crews have delivered it with precision. It’s an important achievement and a clear sign of the progress we’re making toward energising Australia’s first Renewable Energy Zone.”
Stringing invoves pulling transmission cables (or conductors) between towers using specialist heavy‑duty machinery. Those cables are then tensioned and secured in place to form a continuous pathway for electricity.
The first stringing connected 15 towers on private property between Birkalla and Spring Ridge roads, with crews busy installing 2500m conductors delivered on drums weighing up to six tonnes.
Each pull requires a 9‑tonne winch, operating at carefully controlled speeds to ensure the conductors are safely tensioned and secured.
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More than 7100km of transmission cable will be used across the network and strung in sections that can span tens of kilometres.
