Despite the sharp increase from 2024 to 2025, global senior executives rank the region last for expected near-term growth.
The 2026 Renewable Energy Infrastructure Outlook Report, produced by Ansarada in partnership with Infralogic, surveyed 150 senior executives across APAC, EMEA and the Americas. Only 7% of respondents identified Australia and New Zealand as a top region for increased activity over the next two years.
Justin Smith, Managing Director at Ansarada, said the data reflects a market in transition rather than one falling behind its global peers.
“The Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) model is fundamentally changing how risk is allocated,” Smith said.
“By capping zone capacity and centralising transmission, REZs are shifting curtailment risk away from private financiers. That allows procurement timelines to align with confirmed network approvals, rather than forcing projects to market before connection pathways are confirmed.”
Supply chain pressures are compounding challenges. The report highlights that large-scale equipment orders in Australia can face lead times of up to 36 months, and transporting major infrastructure like turbine blades to remote sites often involves journeys of over 500 kilometres.
Globally, renewable energy investment reached $696 billion (USD 496 billion) in 2025. With over $701 billion in artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure capital expenditure projected for 2026 and US data centre energy consumption forecast to hit 409 TWh by 2030, 37% of respondents view surging energy demand as the critical driver for new renewable energy infrastructure development.
Australia is emerging as a key testbed for this growth.
In late 2025, the New South Wales (NSW) Government approved a $4.3 billion CDC Data Centre campus at Marsden Park, the largest project of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere. With 504 MW capacity, the site is designed to operate with nearly 99% renewable energy by 2030, serving as a blueprint for other APAC hubs.
Smithsaid, “AI compute demand is accelerating the need for large-scale, reliable renewable generation, but what’s changed is that it’s no longer just about adding megawatts. It’s about integrating generation, transmission and storage into dispatchable systems that can maintain grid stability.”
Despite widespread technology adoption, the report exposes critical weaknesses in the procurement process. While 91% use purpose-built procurement software, organisations deploy an average of 3-4 disconnected systems, and 55% still rely on email for sensitive bidder correspondence.
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