Works underway on Stage 1 of 720MW New England Solar Farm in NSW
Construction has commenced on Stage 1 of a large-scale hybrid renewable energy project – comprised of a solar farm and a battery storage system – in the New England region of New South Wales.
The $768 million New England Solar Farm project by UPC / AC Renewables Australia is going to be built in two stages, with the first stage delivering the first 400MW of solar capacity, a 50MW/50MWh battery storage system and a substation.
In addition, Stage 1 initial works – which is currently underway – includes the construction of a local road network that will connect to the New England Solar Farm.
The engineering, procurement and construction of Stage 1 is being carried out by Green Light Contractors, a subsidiary of Spanish company Elecnor.
Stage 2 of the project will deliver a further 320MW of solar capacity as well as expand the battery storage capacity to up to 400MWh.
“Once fully complete, the solar farm and battery project will be Australia's largest hybrid solar and battery energy storage facility. It will play an important role in the energy transition already underway across the country.
“The local community, our project landowners and civic leaders have been very supportive of the project over the past three years. We're extremely excited to see construction start and the opportunities that are being returned and created for local business and workers,” UPC / AC Renewables Chief Executive Anton Rohner said.
Project map (source: UPC Renewables)
The 720MW New England Solar Farm is going to be built on a 2,000-hectare site of mostly cleared grazing land near Uralla.
This large-scale renewable energy project is expected to create up to 700 jobs during its construction and about 15 full-time ongoing jobs once operational.
Once fully operational, the New England Solar Farm is anticipated to generate up to 1,800,000-MWh of renewable energy annually, which is enough to power over 250,000 average New South Wales homes.
The entire project is expected to be completed by the end of 2023.
Source: UPC Renewables (1, 2, 3); Renew Economy; Renewables Now; PV Tech
Recent Articles
NSW Govt approves Inland Rail Narrabri to North Star Phase 2 project
Delivery of the second phase of Inland Rail in New South Wales will soon get underway as the State Government gives the green light to the Narrabri to North Star Phase 2 project.
New significant milestones reached on proposed Northern Water Project
Two significant milestones have been achieved on the proposed Northern Water desalination plant in South Australia.
Plans unveiled for major upgrade to NSW Rawson Rd level crossing
The New South Wales Government has unveiled plans for a major upgrade at Rawson Road and Railway Street in Woy Woy to make one of the Central Coast’s level crossings safer.