Lithgow City Council and Greenspot have welcomed the NSW Government's announcement that the Greenspot Wallerawang planning proposal will be fast-tracked under the State Significant Rezoning Policy, noting the potential for new jobs, homes and recreational opportunities.
The announcement reinforces the potential of the Wallerawang precinct to act as a momentum driver for regional economic transformation. The proposal repurposes the site of the Old Wallerawang Power Station and will establish a range of new industry and business opportunities.
As part of the announcement, the NSW Government noted that the reuse of the former power station supports key public sector post coal-mining strategies which aim to repurpose existing infrastructure. Greenspot's vision is to regenerate the 620 hectare site as a catalyst for the transformation of the local economy towards a resilient, prosperous and inclusive future.
Since acquiring the site, Greenspot has safely executed a major decommissioning, demolition and rehabilitation project and obtained development approval for a grid-scale battery to be known as 'Wallerawang 9', acknowledging the decades of operation of coal-fired generating units 1 through 8 within the site, and honouring the role Lithgow has played in meeting the nation's energy needs.'
In September 2024, after two years of preparatory strategic and technical work, Greenspot submitted its planning proposal to rezone the site to accommodate an employment enterprise zone together with residential, tourism and recreational areas. As a consequence of the announcement, it is anticipated that the site will be rezoned in the first half of 2026, laying the foundation for a new chapter of site activation.
As the planning proposal process enters its next phase, Greenspot and Lithgow City Council will continue to work closely together to ensure that the initiative will deliver outcomes for regional and local economic development and community benefit, and contribute to the desirable regional lifestyle of Wallerawang and the Seven Valleys more broadly.
Greenspot's CEO, Brett Hawkins said "We welcome this significant announcement. We believe Wallerawang and the Lithgow area will be seen as a safe and stable place to do business and a great place for people to live in and visit. It can be a place where solutions are provided for the most complex of challenges including the energy transition, digital transformation, water security, enhanced supply chains, resource recovery and reuse, and housing availability around strong public amenity. This announcement is a key milestone in the process towards realising this ambition."
The Mayor of Lithgow, Councillor Cassandra Coleman, said "The announcement by the NSW Government shows its continuing faith in the development of future industry taking place here in the Lithgow LGA. Council will be continuing to work closely with Greenspot, and support proposals and innovative initiatives like this that will continue to drive our economic future".
In parallel with pursuing site rezoning, Greenspot is in the early stages of assessing the feasibility of a gigawatt scale data centre campus within the proposed employment enterprise zone. Earlier this year, as part of exploring the opportunity, Greenspot formally lodged a connection enquiry with Transgrid. The data centre project, in a similar manner to the Wallerawang 9 battery, has the potential to leverage the site's adjacency to high voltage electricity transmission infrastructure and a robust connection point in the east coast grid. It is expected to lead to major capital investment in the area and, in doing so, to support regional economic transition and diversification.
"A large data centre campus has the potential to play a very significant role in realising our ambition for a multi-use Greenspot infrastructure and innovation precinct, underpinned by our proposed rezoning of the overall site to accommodate a broad range of new and complimentary uses including a housing and lifestyle offering around Lake Wallace. We are looking forward to continuing to unlock a range of opportunities for investment", said Mr Hawkins.
Background
Greenspot acquired the Old Wallerawang Power Station and surrounding lands from EnergyAustralia in September 2020, believing that existing electricity, transport, digital and water infrastructure could be leveraged to attract new investment and diversify the local economy which has traditionally relied heavily on coal-based industry.
Greenspot is a privately owned Australian company which invests in real estate opportunities with a particular focus on disused fossil fuel industry sites with the potential to be repurposed. Greenspot works with communities, government, Traditional Custodians and other key stakeholders to optimise economic, social and environmental outcomes for enduring and shared benefit.
