🔋 NSW Is Looking for 500MW of Backup Power — And That’s a Big Deal!

Jul 29

2 min read

Alright, let’s imagine this: It’s a super hot summer day in New South Wales. Everyone’s blasting the aircon, fridges are working overtime, and your local power system is sweating harder than you are! 🥵

That’s when we need something called “firming power” — electricity that can jump in

quickly when demand spikes or solar and wind take a break. And guess what?

NSW Is Looking for 500MW of Backup Power — And That’s a Big Deal!

👉 The NSW Government just opened a major tender for 500MW of firming energy projects.

💡 What Is “Firming” Power?

Let’s say solar and wind are like your fun, friendly teammates — they’re clean, cheap, and awesome. But sometimes, the sun hides or the wind stops. That’s where firming comes in — like a superhero backup, firming power keeps the lights on when nature takes a nap. 🦸‍♂️⚡

This new tender is looking for:

✅ Batteries (store energy for later)
✅ Gas generators (quick-start backup)
✅ Virtual power plants (small systems working together like one big one)

Basically, anything that can kick in quickly when people need power most — like during heatwaves or cold snaps.

🌆 Focus on Sydney, Newcastle & Wollongong

The NSW Government says that by summer 2027–28, there could be power shortages in these big cities unless we act now. So, this tender will prioritise projects that can help those regions handle high demand when the heat is on.

Projects that get the green light will join other exciting ones from the 2023 tender — like:

AGL’s Liddell battery
Iberdrola’s Smithfield battery
Enel X’s virtual power plant

These firming projects will be able to power around 200,000 homes during peak demand — that’s a lot of fridges and fans!

🛠️ Who’s Running the Show?

The tender will be handled by ASL (formerly AEMO Services) later in 2025.

Nevenka Codevelle, the CEO of ASL, says this shows how flexible the NSW Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap really is — always adapting to keep energy flowing smoothly.

🚀 Why Should You Care?

Simple: More firming = less blackout risk + more renewables.

It’s like building safety nets for your power supply while pushing for a greener, cleaner future. The NSW Government is making sure we don’t just transition to renewable energy — we do it smartly and safely.