Glossary
Acronyms and terms used in the dashboard
40 terms across 7categories. Each is defined in plain Australian English so the dashboard is usable by councillors, community reference group members and journalists who aren't in the weeds of NSW planning law every day. If something on the dashboard is unclear and isn't here, that's a gap to flag.
Category
Planning and assessment
The NSW state and Commonwealth processes that determine whether a project is built.
- SSDState Significant Development
- NSW planning category for large projects (typically >$30M capex or specified land use). Major renewables fall here. Determined by NSW Department of Planning, Housing & Infrastructure (DPHI) or the Independent Planning Commission (IPC).
- SSIState Significant Infrastructure
- Higher-significance planning category, often used for major transmission, water and rail projects. HumeLink and the Waratah Super Battery are SSIs.
- EISEnvironmental Impact Statement
- The technical assessment document a proponent must lodge for an SSD/SSI. Covers visual, noise, biodiversity, cultural heritage, traffic, water, social impact, and more. Exhibited publicly for 28–60 days.
- SEARsSecretary's Environmental Assessment Requirements
- The scoping requirements issued by DPHI's Secretary that tell the proponent what the EIS must cover. The starting gun for serious planning work.
- DADevelopment Application
- Generic term for any planning application. Major projects are SSDs/SSIs rather than ordinary DAs, but the colloquial term is still used.
- RFIRequest for Information
- DPHI's formal request for additional information mid-assessment. Common pause-point that can add 3–6 months to the determination clock.
- RtSResponse to Submissions
- The proponent's formal response to public and agency submissions during EIS exhibition. The substantive evidence-vs-objection moment.
- IPCIndependent Planning Commission
- Independent body that determines major projects where >50 public objections were made, or where Council formally objected. The IPC has refused, modified or approved most contested NSW renewables.
- DPHIDepartment of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure
- NSW state planning agency. Assesses SSD/SSI and recommends to either the Minister or the IPC.
- VPAVoluntary Planning Agreement
- Negotiated agreement between proponent and council that captures community contributions — road upgrades, community funds, council capacity, training — beyond standard development conditions.
- REFReview of Environmental Factors
- Lighter-weight environmental assessment used for activities under Part 5 of the EPA Act, including some REZ transmission upgrades (e.g. HCC REZ Network Infrastructure).
Category
Federal and environmental
Commonwealth-level approvals that run in parallel with NSW state planning.
- EPBCEnvironment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
- Federal law requiring referral of any project likely to have a significant impact on matters of national environmental significance — threatened species, wetlands, World Heritage, etc. Decided by DCCEEW separately from NSW approval.
- DCCEEWDepartment of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water
- Commonwealth department that administers EPBC, offshore wind declared areas, the National Renewable Energy Priority List and energy policy. Successor to the Department of the Environment and Energy.
- ILUAIndigenous Land Use Agreement
- Statutory agreement (under the Native Title Act) between Traditional Owners and a proponent or government, regulating how a project interacts with Country.
- IEPIndigenous Engagement Plan
- Project-specific document setting out how the proponent will engage with relevant Traditional Owner bodies, Land Councils and Native Title parties throughout the project lifecycle.
Category
Energy markets and the grid
Who runs the grid, who buys the electricity, and who allocates access.
- AEMOAustralian Energy Market Operator
- Operates the National Electricity Market (NEM, eastern states + SA + Tas) and the Western Australian WEM. Publishes the Integrated System Plan (ISP) every two years.
- ISPIntegrated System Plan
- AEMO's biennial plan for the future of the grid — which transmission to build, which REZs to prioritise, what generation mix is needed. ISP-actionable projects are funded through specific regulatory mechanisms.
- NEMNational Electricity Market
- The interconnected eastern-Australian electricity market — NSW, VIC, QLD, SA, TAS, ACT. Operated by AEMO. ~80% of Australian electricity demand.
- REZRenewable Energy Zone
- A geographic area declared (in NSW) under the Electricity Infrastructure Investment Act 2020, with coordinated transmission and access scheme provisions. NSW has 5 declared REZs. Other states use different terminology (Victoria's process is similar; Queensland uses 'Regional Energy Hubs').
- LTESALong-Term Energy Service Agreement
- NSW Government contract-for-difference style instrument run by AEMO Services to underwrite renewable generation and storage. Provides revenue certainty to qualifying projects.
- REILRenewable Energy Infrastructure Licence
- NSW licence regime under the Hydrogen & Renewable Energy Act 2023, supporting projects outside the formal REZ framework. Yarrowyck Wind Farm has taken this route.
- PPAPower Purchase Agreement
- Long-term electricity offtake contract — typically 10–25 years — between a renewables project and a corporate or retail buyer. The traditional revenue underwriting before LTESAs existed.
Category
Finance and commercial
How a project goes from intent to dollars on the ground.
- FIDFinal Investment Decision
- The point at which a proponent commits its capital. Typically requires planning approval, grid connection, EPBC clearance and a revenue path (PPA or LTESA). Also called Financial Close (FC).
- FCFinancial Close
- Used interchangeably with FID, though sometimes FC specifically refers to the date debt funding closes after FID.
- EPCEngineering, Procurement and Construction (contractor)
- The prime contractor that delivers the build. Major Australian EPCs include UGL, Acciona, John Holland, CIMIC. The EPC's regional engagement strategy is the gateway to local content.
- OEMOriginal Equipment Manufacturer
- The maker of the major equipment — wind turbines (Vestas, Siemens Gamesa, Goldwind, GE), solar panels (Longi, JinkoSolar, Trina), BESS cells (Tesla, CATL, BYD), transformers (Hyundai, Hyosung). Dominantly imported.
- IRRInternal Rate of Return
- The annualised yield on a project's cash flows. Investors compare project IRRs to discount rates to decide whether to commit capital.
Category
Technology and capacity
What the things are and how to read the numbers.
- MWMegawatt
- 1,000 kW. Standard unit for generation capacity (power). A typical modern wind turbine is 6–7 MW; a utility-scale solar farm might be 100–700 MW.
- MWhMegawatt-hour
- Unit of energy. A 1 MW battery operating for 1 hour stores or delivers 1 MWh. BESS capacity is quoted both ways — e.g. '500 MW / 1,000 MWh' (= 500 MW for 2 hours).
- GW / GWhGigawatt / Gigawatt-hour
- 1,000 MW or 1,000 MWh. Used for the largest projects (Snowy 2.0 is 2.2 GW) or portfolio totals (CWO REZ targets ~3 GW network capacity).
- BESSBattery Energy Storage System
- Grid-scale lithium-ion (or alternative chemistry) battery installation. Quoted in MW (power) and MWh (energy). Acts as load when charging, generator when discharging — and increasingly as a grid-forming asset providing inertia.
- PHESPumped Hydro Energy Storage
- Two reservoirs at different elevations connected by a tunnel and reversible turbines. Pumps water up when electricity is cheap, releases it when electricity is dear. Snowy 2.0 and Oven Mountain are the major NSW examples.
- kVKilovolt
- 1,000 volts. The voltage of a transmission line. NSW's REZ transmission backbones are 500 kV — the high end of overhead transmission. Distribution upgrades run 132 kV / 66 kV / 33 kV / 11 kV.
Category
Construction and workforce
What happens on the ground and to the people doing it.
- FTEFull-Time Equivalent
- One person working full-time for the period. Used to express workforce demand — '~4,650 FTE peak' means about that many full-time-equivalent roles active simultaneously.
- OSOMOver-Size Over-Mass (transport)
- Loads exceeding normal road dimensions or weight — wind turbine blades (75m+), transformers, BESS containers. Requires permits, escorts, route surveys and often council notice. Major regional road impact.
- BoPBalance of Plant
- Everything in a project that isn't the major equipment — cabling, substations, switchgear, hardstands, fencing, internal roads. The category that contains most local content opportunities for regional contractors.
Category
Regional governance
The non-state organisations that shape regional outcomes.
- LGALocal Government Area
- Council jurisdiction. NSW has 128 LGAs. Each has its own elected council, planning controls, Community Strategic Plan and capacity to negotiate VPAs.
- JOJoint Organisation
- Cluster of NSW councils that share planning, advocacy and delivery capacity (e.g. Riverina JO, Hunter JO, Orana JO). The right scale for many REZ-level coordination conversations.
- RDARegional Development Australia
- Commonwealth-state-local body that aggregates regional economic data and priorities. RDA Orana, RDA Riverina, RDA Northern Inland are the bodies most relevant to NSW REZs.
- CSPCommunity Strategic Plan
- A council's 10-year vision document for its community. The natural anchor for VPA negotiations and shared-value commitments to align against.
Missing something?
If a term on the dashboard isn't in this glossary, it's a gap worth fixing. The next iteration should add hover-popover affordances so the abbreviations on every page surface their definitions inline. Phase 2.