The energy wars are back: Labor has wedged the NSW Liberals on renewables

June 25, 2026 — 5:00am

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The NSW Coalition’s decision to walk away from bipartisan support for the state’s renewable energy zones has been a long time coming.

And long gone are the days of Liberal energy minister Matt Kean and Nationals leader John Barilaro breaking bread over an energy road map which promised an economic windfall for Nationals electorates in the regions while winning the NSW Liberals plaudits for its commitment to green policies. Now an orange wave is coming, and the Coalition has jumped overboard.

By deciding to scale back the state’s largest renewable energy zone in the New England area by not proceeding with the 500kV transmission line corridor, the Coalition has ended a brief and glorious window of energy policy bipartisanship in NSW.

But it’s not surprising. As anger has grown over the rollout of renewables in the regions, the NSW Nationals have become increasingly desperate to step out of the firing line. Maintaining the status quo simply wasn’t an option for them.

To give him credit, opposition energy minister James Griffin has managed to finesse a policy that will allow Liberals in Sydney – such as himself – to argue the party is still as committed as ever to renewables by vowing to develop renewable energy zones in Sydney and parts of outback NSW that won’t present a headache for the Nationals.

Developing an outback renewable energy zone is not an idea the Coalition pulled out........

© The Sydney Morning Herald