The New South Wales Independent Planning Commission has given the green light to the development of Neoen Australia's $636 million Culcairn Solar Farm in the Riverina region.
The proposed renewable energy project will comprise of a 350MW solar farm and a 100MW / 200MWh battery storage system.
The approval for development is subject to conditions that include plans to prevent or minimise environmental impacts of the project; plans for decommissioning and rehabilitation of the site; regular monitoring and reporting; and provision of ongoing environmental management.
The Culcairn Solar Farm is expected to support up to 350 direct and 1,546 indirect jobs during its construction phase as well as 6 direct and 113 indirect operational jobs.
In a statement, Neoen said: “Neoen will be continuing its engagement with a focus on maximising local participation opportunities and developing the community benefit-sharing scheme. Neoen are committed to sharing the benefits of our projects with the surrounding communities and expect the scheme to deliver $10 million in benefits over the lifetime of the Culcairn Solar Farm. The scheme will include three elements – construction disruption payments, a Community Benefit Fund and a voluntary contribution to the Great Hume Shire Council.”
The project is going to be built in the south east Riverina region, approximately 4 kilometres south west of Culcairn, 45 kilometres north of Albury and 70 kilometres south of Wagga Wagga.
Once up and running, the Culcairn Solar Farm is expected to produce about 800,000MWh of renewable energy a year – enough to power up to 155,000 homes.
Early works on the project are anticipated to commence towards the end of this year, with hiring for workers and suppliers to begin soon. For the list of available work opportunities, visit the project website here.
Source: Culcairn Solar Farm (1, 2); Renew Economy; NSW Government – Independent Planning Commission; Renewables Now