The site of the former Munmorah Power Station has been formally identified as the preferred location for the state government's Waratah Super Battery project.
An EnergyCo scoping report lodged with the Department of Planning this week says a 15 hectare site previously used to stockpile coal for the power station is an ideal location for the 700 megawatt project.
The battery, which will be the largest standby network battery in the Southern Hemisphere, was declared as Critical State Significant Infrastructure last week.
The project would create up to 150 construction jobs during the approximate 18-month construction period and approximately 10-15 jobs on site once operational.
The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) recently identified the project as an "actionable NSW project", which means it considers that the project's development should start as soon as possible.
EnergyCo expects to finalise a competitive tender process to identify suitable battery developers by the end of the year.
Origin Energy is also progressing plans for a similar 700 megawatt battery project on the site of Eraring Power Station, which is due to close in 2025.
The two projects represent part of the Hunter-Central Coast Renewable Energy Zone (REZ), one of four REZ's being established across the state.
Commercial interest has been registered for more than 80 projects across the fields of solar energy, onshore and offshore wind energy, large-scale batteries and pumped hydro projects.
The projects together have the potential to deliver more than 100,000 gigawatt hours of renewable energy a year - equivalent to the annual output of up to 10 coal fired power stations.
The REZ will also play a critical role in supporting heavy industry such as Tomago Aluminium, which announced this week that it would accelerate its decarbonisation push.
The company, which hopes to switch to renewable energy by 2029, will work with industry and technology partners to develop opportunities for establishing renewable power generation and energy storage projects in the region and beyond.
Modelling conducted by renewable energy advocacy group Beyond Zero Emissions found that a Renewable Energy Industrial Precinct built to complement the Hunter REZ could attract $28 billion in private investment, support 34,000 new jobs and earn $11 billion annually by 2032.
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