Engineering Roadmap to 100% Renewables
The Engineering Roadmap to 100% Renewables is an evergreen body of work, originating from the Engineering Framework. This evolution represents a shift in the initiative’s focus, that has been enabled by the extensive progress since 2020 since the Engineering Framework was established. This highlights a progression from the identification of gaps and possible actions for a range of future operational scenarios, towards a pathway to dynamically specify the necessary engineering and operational readiness activities to implement in preparation for 100% instantaneous renewables.
The Engineering Roadmap to 100% Renewables Framework represents a toolkit to define the full range of operational, technical and engineering requirements needed to prepare the NEM power system for six identified future operational conditions, including preparation for 100% instantaneous penetration of renewables. Implementation of the Roadmap will facilitate an orderly transition to a secure and efficient future NEM power system.
In July 2021, AEMO released the operational conditions summary, describing the generation mix and loading combinations projected to occur five to 10 years in the future that will necessitate changes to current operational practices. Building on this summary, AEMO published an initial roadmap in December 2021 to inform preparation of the NEM for operation under the six identified operational conditions.
Stakeholder feedback in early 2022 highlighted a strong desire to understand the specific actions that will be prioritised in the near term to start addressing the most pressing gaps and decisions identified in the Initial Roadmap. In June 2022, AEMO published the priority actions report to catalogue these actions alongside AEMO’s commitment to progress each of them during the financial year2022-23 (FY2023).
In December 2022, the Engineering Roadmap to 100% Renewables was released, presenting AEMO’s view of the technical, engineering, and operational actions required to prepare the NEM to securely and reliably operate at 100% instantaneous renewable penetration for the first time.
To keep stakeholders informed of the specific actions that AEMO is progressing from the Engineering Roadmap to 100% Renewables, the FY2024 Priority Actions Report was published in July 2023. This report highlights the key engineering and operational readiness activities that AEMO intends to progress in the next financial year, and provides an update of the progress made on activities in FY2023 (see here for a summary).
The Engineering Roadmap to 100% Renewable is an ongoing, iterative process that requires close collaboration between AEMO and stakeholders. For more information see get involved.