{"id":31194,"date":"2025-02-05T04:07:02","date_gmt":"2025-02-05T04:07:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/?p=31194"},"modified":"2025-02-05T04:07:02","modified_gmt":"2025-02-05T04:07:02","slug":"the-hunter-needs-a-local-energy-hub","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/2025\/02\/05\/the-hunter-needs-a-local-energy-hub\/","title":{"rendered":"The Hunter needs a Local Energy Hub\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As Ausgrid consults communities<\/a> about upgrades to critical network infrastructure to support the Hunter Central Coast Renewable Energy Zone, local groups are urging the Federal Government to deliver a Local Energy Hub to the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Hunter Jobs Alliance is concerned locals didn\u2019t know Ausgrid\u2019s community drop-in sessions in Singleton and Muswellbrook last week were taking place, and encouraged people to attend online webinars this Thursday 6 February. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hunter Jobs Alliance Coordinator Justin Page said the region needed a Local Energy Hub<\/a> to help bridge the information disconnect between governments, industry and the communities being asked to host renewable energy infrastructure like wind and solar farms, batteries and new transmission lines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe upgrades being proposed by Ausgrid will see them using existing transmission easements and corridors,\u201d said Justin Page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis a fantastic thing and a first for a renewable energy zone in Australia – but we\u2019re concerned locals will never hear about it because they don\u2019t know that consultation sessions are taking place,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr Page said Ausgrid\u2019s consultation process in the Hunter Central Coast region is a good example of why the Hunter needs a Hub. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Ausgrid upgrades are key to getting access to cheap renewable energy, creating local jobs and local economic benefits, but the conversation about why it is needed, where it will go and how it will be rolled out is still not happening adequately,\u201d he said.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RE-Alliance, alongside partners Community Power Agency and Yes2Renewables, has been calling on the Federal Government to address the information gap on Australia\u2019s shift to renewables with Local Energy Hubs<\/a> in renewable energy regions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RE-Alliance National Director Andrew Bray said: \u201cThe shift to renewables is well underway, but regional communities are telling us they need much more information to understand how to get the most out of the change.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese hubs would be physical centres with a strong outreach program in renewable energy regions, staffed by independent local experts to help build trust and provide accurate information about what\u2019s happening,\u201d Mr Bray said.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Federal Member for Hunter Dan Repacholi MP and Federal Member for Newcastle Sharon Claydon MP have both publicly backed<\/a> the need for a Local Energy Hub in the Hunter.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hunter Jobs Alliance Coordinator Justin Page added: \u201cHubs are a no-brainer for the Hunter, the question we\u2019ve got for the Federal Government is why don\u2019t we have one yet?\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More information on the Local Energy Hubs model can be found at: localenergyhubs.org.au<\/a>.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To register for the Ausgrid online forums taking place at 12:30pm and 7:30pm on Thursday 6 Feb email HCCREZ@ausgrid.com.au<\/a> or visit yoursay.ausgrid.com.au\/hccrez<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As Ausgrid consults communities about upgrades to critical network infrastructure to support the Hunter Central Coast Renewable Energy Zone, local groups are urging the Federal Government to deliver a Local Energy Hub to the region. The Hunter Jobs Alliance is concerned locals didn\u2019t know Ausgrid\u2019s community drop-in sessions in Singleton and Muswellbrook last week were taking place, … Continue reading “The Hunter needs a Local Energy Hub\u00a0“<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31194","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-newcastle"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31194","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31194"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31194\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31195,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31194\/revisions\/31195"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31194"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31194"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31194"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}