As Australia accelerates its clean-energy transition, Lumea is playing a pivotal role in connecting renewable generation and large energy users to the National Electricity Market (NEM). We spoke with Craig Stallan, Executive General Manager at Lumea, about the company’s commitments, innovations, and the opportunities shaping the future of energy in Australia.
What is Lumea doing to progress Australia’s clean-energy transition?
Lumea is proud to be the number one connector of renewables to the National Electricity Market (NEM). We work in close partnership with our customers to deliver energy and infrastructure solutions that are powering Australia’s future.
We’ve already connected or are constructing 13GW of renewable energy projects, and we’re committed to reaching 30GW by 2030. That milestone will make a significant contribution toward Australia’s net zero targets.
We’re also delivering major infrastructure projects, including Snowy Hydro 2.0 – the largest energy project in Australia. Once complete, it will add up to 2,000 MW of on-demand generation capacity and deliver 350,000 MWh of long-duration storage, enough to power around 3 million homes for a week.
Beyond the grid, our telecommunications services provide critical connectivity across the Eastern seaboard – supporting wholesale, government, emergency services, and major infrastructure projects in both metro and regional areas.
We’re focused on accelerating all types of connections – battery energy storage systems (BESS), new generation and new loads. It’s what needs to be done to ensure a prosperous and sustainable future for generations to come.
What are the most exciting opportunities for the energy sector that could emerge before 2030?
Data centres represent a massive opportunity. The local benefits – from job creation to technology advancement – are significant, and Australia has the potential to become the service provider for the entire Asia Pacific region. It’s a smart way to diversify export revenue – exporting photons is a lot easier than exporting energy.
There’s also a lot we can learn from more mature international markets that are further along in their data-centre journeys. At Lumea, we regularly engage with leading global industry figures to bring those insights home.
Strategic partnerships with utilities will be essential to build the infrastructure and provide the energy capacity needed for data-centre growth in key locations like Sydney and Melbourne.
We’re already supporting our data-centre customers as they navigate first-time connections to the transmission network – a vital step as they hyperscale and increase their energy demand.
If we approach this thoughtfully and apply those international lessons, the data-centre opportunity could help us solve some of the technical challenges in transitioning the NEM.
In terms of battery storage, are we as far along as we need to be?
Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) are fundamental to accelerating Australia’s clean-energy transition. They’re a quiet, constant and deliberate force – delivering grid stability, improving renewable energy integration, and reducing long-term costs.
That said, we still have work to do – especially when it comes to medium-duration storage in the one-to-seven-day range. That’s the nut we still need to crack.
At Lumea, we’ve led several BESS milestones. We own the Wallgrove Grid Battery – NSW’s first grid-scale battery at 50MW/75MWh. This innovation pilot helped build battery expertise and support synthetic inertia development across different parts of the grid, including strong grid areas.
We’re also connecting Australia’s first 8-hour battery, which will play a crucial role in supporting the energy transition by storing excess renewable energy and feeding it back into the NSW grid when it’s needed most.
How is Lumea leveraging its telecommunications solutions to support the transition in Australia?
Connectivity is critical for renewable energy providers. Our extensive fibre-optic network – one of the largest in Australia – supports wholesale businesses, government agencies, energy projects, and communities across the Eastern seaboard.
By leveraging this infrastructure, we’re helping improve connectivity in metro and regional areas alike – driving social, economic and environmental benefits.
Our Spectrum service gives customers faster and more reliable data connections, plus greater flexibility to manage their bandwidth requirements. Meanwhile, our co-location services give customers access to over 37,000 towers for the rollout of wireless networks.
We’ve also developed a world-first Site Discovery Portal that allows wireless network planners to virtually view and evaluate equipment with detailed 3D tower models across the Transgrid Group network in NSW and the ACT.
Looking ahead, we’re adding 2,000 km of additional fibre-optic cable and 5,000 high-voltage towers to our network by 2031 – significantly boosting our reach and capacity.
What keeps you up at night?
Australia has an abundance of renewable resources and home-grown talent. Right now, we have a window of opportunity to make our mark globally – not just for our generation, but for the generations that follow.
It’s a responsibility I take seriously. Our regional communities are at the heart of this transition, and it’s non-negotiable that we leave a legacy of benefit in and around our projects.
That starts with listening. We actively engage with communities to understand their needs and concerns. A good example is our work in Tumbarumba, where we’re supporting local projects driven by the community itself as part of the Snowy 2.0 Transmission Connection. It’s about making a lasting, positive impact – and we’re proud to be part of these communities, now and into the future.
Join us at Australian Energy Week 17-20 June 2025 to hear more from Craig Stallan and a host of other energy leaders. Learn more.
To access the detailed conference program, download the brochure here.
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