More than 100 private sector players have pledged to transform the New South Wales Central West into the country's largest wind and solar energy hub.
The NSW Government will spend $40 million on the Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone near Dubbo, which will generate 3,000 megawatts of electricity.
The Government invited investors to build new wind and solar farms to connect to their hub, which drew 113 registrations of interest.
When totalled, the farms could generate nine times more energy than the Government had planned.
"It's about 27,000 megawatts of energy that people want to produce in this area," Deputy Premier John Barilaro said.
"We know the market is ready to invest."
Three more zones to come
NSW Energy and Environment Minister Matt Kean said he hoped Dubbo would become the powerhouse of the country.
"We're planning for this zone to be the modern-day equivalent of a power station," Mr Kean said.
"It will generate enough to power 1.3 million households in NSW — that's a third of all households across NSW."
Mr Kean expected the zone to generate $4.4 billion in investment and create 450 construction jobs.
The creation of similar sustainable energy hubs, led by the Energy Corporation of NSW, were flagged for the New England and South West regions of NSW.
Eventually both the State and Federal Governments will spend a billion dollars each in part to strengthen grid connections to these three zones.
Off-farm income for farmers
Dubbo-district farmer and renewable energy consultant Karin Stark said farmers stood to gain from investment in the area.
Hosting solar panels or wind turbines on their land would allow them to diversify their income.
"This region has been through quite severe drought over the past two years, so if a farmer is able to host a large-scale installation that will provide a really important secondary income for them out of leasing that land," Ms Stark said.
"[And] local communities will benefit in terms of jobs and skills."
Farm land 'finite'
Not all farmers were supportive of the Government's master plan.
NSW Farmers' branch chair Shane Kilby worried the state was sacrificing prime agricultural land for its plan.
"We're very concerned about the loss of important agricultural land in the Central West," Ms Kilby said.
"Productive land is a limited resource."
But Mr Kean said he was committed to getting the land-use balance right in the Central West.
"We want to work with local farmers so it's a win-win for everyone," he said.
"We don't want to see renewable energy projects built on prime agricultural land."
