All eyes are on the regions as Australia transitions to renewable energy.
In NSW, five Renewable Energy Zones (REZs) have both mobilised and polarised communities as they prepare to host utility-scale generation – mostly wind and solar-powered – worth billions of dollars.
The opportunities to expand and secure our power grid, and accelerate green energy generation are, it seems, as vast as rural Australia’s big open skies. But not without the infrastructure to transmit the power that’s been generated and stored.
And that’s where John Cleland comes in.
The UNE alumnus and CEO of electricity distributor Essential Energy is, perhaps not surprisingly, a big advocate for connecting new energy projects to his business’s existing regional distribution network. He says it will hasten the development of renewable generation and the many benefits this will bring.
“Using our network will create significant economic opportunities for regional, rural and remote communities, where the capacity to generate renewable energy is abundant,” John says.
Essential Energy, John says, has already enabled the proliferation of rooftop solar, electric vehicles and storage across its “poles and wires” network, one of the largest in Australia, responsible for delivering power to more than 900,000 customers across 95% of NSW and parts of southern Queensland.
“As Chair of Energy Networks Australia I advocate for existing networks to play a bigger role in the energy transition, to maximise what we already have, which leads to lower total system costs and other benefits for consumers.”
John is suitably equipped for this complex role. Before joining Essential Energy, his career spanned the infrastructure (rail and ports), resources (gas transmission and distribution) and logistics sectors. Only his earliest appointments with Wesfarmers and WestNet Rail hint at his rural upbringing in Western Australia and path to UNE and Robb College, his home for three years.
“I first set foot on UNE’s Armidale campus during a gap year while working on our family farm. I had never been outside WA and the green, rolling hills of the New England were just stunning,” John said. “I started studying a Bachelor of Agricultural Economics in 1986 but moved to a Bachelor of Economics (graduating in 1989) and then completed a Graduate Diploma in Financial Management.
“Robb College drew people from all parts of Australia. It was a vibrant place and to this day I have a core group of friends that I met there. Like me, many were living out of their own state and that gave rise to a very different experience. They were fantastic years.”
Although he could not have known it at the time, the “building of strong relationships with people from all walks of life” proved enormously valuable. “My career, while it’s been diverse, has centred on businesses that have a strong presence in regional Australia. To have an affinity with or understanding of those communities is very important for anyone who works in this environment,” John said.
It also means he is committed to industry and research collaborations, as well as employment pathways, that will improve the fortunes of rural and regional communities and their people.
“A far more dynamic and complex power system is emerging that will potentially create a higher level of energy independence, but it will require a raft of different skillsets, especially in the digital and artificial intelligence space,” John said. “Essential Energy has a long-standing, very successful and rapidly growing apprenticeship program, a strong graduate program and we are a provider of scholarships at several universities, including UNE.
“We are also partnering with universities and other organisations on specific research initiatives, to evaluate and accelerate certain technologies. We have collaborated with UNE over the last couple of years through NOVA and will continue to seek opportunities for partnerships with UNE. The economic prospects for regional Australia through the energy transition are extraordinary.”
