Australian transmission operator Transgrid has announced that the EnergyConnect project is being “fully energised” following the successful completion of construction of the New South Wales (NSW, Australia) section of the interconnector, which links three state grids for the first time and will integrate multiple renewable energy zones into the national network (Transgrid press release, 10/06/2026).
The critical EnergyConnect project enhances renewable energy sharing between NSW, Victoria, and South Australia, enabling access to lower-cost wholesale electricity as NSW’s coal-fired power stations are progressively phased out, according to the press release.
According to the press release, the generation component of a typical household energy bill is expected to decrease on average by up to USD30 per year in NSW, USD45 in Victoria, and USD75 in South Australia as a result of the project.
Transgrid, together with its delivery partner Elecnor Australia, has completed construction of the 700 km NSW section of the interconnector, involving more than 1,500 towers and over 10,000 km of high-voltage conductor.
The transmission line will add 800 MW of transfer capacity between NSW, South Australia, and Victoria, and is expected to enable more than 2 GW of solar, wind, and battery storage projects to connect to the National Electricity Market (pv-magazine, 10/06/2026).
Transgrid stated that stage two of EnergyConnect, the 540 km line between Buronga and Wagga Wagga, is now being energised following detailed commissioning checks. The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) will begin inter-network testing later in 2026 to verify the reliability and performance of the infrastructure.
The first stage of the project, a 160 km line from the South Australian border to Buronga and into Victoria, became operational in 2025. The South Australian section, a 206 km line from the NSW border to Robertstown, was completed in 2023 by ElectraNet.
Transgrid described EnergyConnect as the country’s largest transmission project.