New South Wales
Australian state that introduced the Electricity Infrastructure Investment Amendment Bill 2026.
On 5 August, New South Wales introduced a bill allowing its energy minister to approve or block grid connections for electricity users drawing 5 MW or more.
Last refreshed: 24 September 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Can New South Wales now block a data centre's grid connection outright?
Timeline for New South Wales
Took a related grid power in August
Data Centres: Boom and Backlash: Victoria makes data centres bring powerIntroduced a bill letting its energy minister authorise or prohibit large-load grid access
Data Centres: Boom and Backlash: NSW gives its minister a grid vetoBackground
New South Wales is an Australian state whose energy policy matters to data-centre developers seeking large grid connections. On 5 August, it introduced legislation that would let its energy minister authorise or prohibit access schemes for electricity users drawing 5 MW or more.
The threshold reaches beyond hyperscale campuses to suburban colocation facilities and large enterprise sites. The proposed regime also places network-upgrade costs on the connecting developer rather than consumers generally. This gives the state a durable role in deciding how fast major new electricity demand can connect to its network.