With excellent project management, a custom GIS, and state-of-the-art survey equipment, Fyfe has partnered with Woolpert to deliver a significant development that will help NSW transition to a clean energy future.
The Central West Orana Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) project is a significant infrastructure project for NSW that will help accelerate the development of renewable energy infrastructure and generation capacity in the state.
The Central-West Orana REZ is part of the NSW Government’s effort to transition the NSW energy system to renewables and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The Energy Corporation of NSW (EnergyCo) is the NSW Government authority leading the project which is the first of five eventual REZs across the state.
The Central-West Orana region has been identified as an ideal location for a REZ due to its abundant renewable energy resources, including solar and wind, significant investor interest and number of planned renewable energy developments already underway in the region.
Project Responsibilities
Fyfe and Woolpert are pleased to be a part of this innovative and large-scale project by providing EnergyCo with a range of geospatial services.
Phase One – 2022
Following a competitive tender process, Fyfe and Woolpert were awarded a topographic and LIDAR survey to support detailed design of the Central-West Orana REZ Transmission Project.
Woolpert were responsible for aerial LiDAR and imagery capture of 1,900km² over the project area, and bathymetric survey collection in rivers and creeks.
In eight intensive weeks in 2022, Fyfe surveyors and geospatial experts delivered around 60 kilometres of road detail surveys to support road design upgrades for future energy hubs.
This included:
- A detailed survey covering roads and access tracks, geographical and landscape information, visible utilities and above ground services
- A general survey of existing road alignment and profile to support ongoing conceptual design activities.
These surveys were delivered on time and to budget.
Phase Two – 2023
In May 2023, Fyfe returned to the Central-West Orana REZ to work on 300 kilometres of easement surveys for the construction boundaries of the new transmission lines.
This includes:
- Creating a Survey Adjusted Cadastral Model (SACM) to cover the route of the proposed transmission line
- Defining the rural cadastral boundaries that are cut by the 300 km construction boundary
- Pegging the cuts at deposited plan (DP) ends and reference marks along the construction boundary
- Creating DPs ready for submission to Land Registry Services (LRS).
The project is currently in progress and is expected to finish within the program and to budget.
Approach and challenges
The aerial data from phase 1 provided valuable information to support the planning and execution of phase 2. On a project of this scope and with numerous teams working simultaneously, excellent project management is a must.
We created a custom GIS for use by Fyfe surveyors and EnergyCo when managing the project. The GIS gave us information about land access, specific requirements of landholders and real time status update to our client of ‘on the ground’ progress.
The Central-West Orana REZ area is around 20,000 square kilometres, centred around Gulgong. The site’s remote location and hilly terrain add additional challenges when surveying.
To combat the hills and make sure we could work to deadlines, we decided to equip a ‘Kawasaki Mule’, which is an off-road vehicle, with state-of-the-art survey equipment. This innovation meant we greatly increased our surveying capabilities and efficiency, while minimising impact on farmers’ properties.
We look forward to continuing work on this project and helping to deliver a significant development that will help NSW transition to a clean energy future.
If you would like to talk to a member of our team about survey and geospatial services, please get in touch.
