Name of the Project
New England Solar Farm.

Location
The project site is located about 6 km east of the township of Uralla, New South Wales, Australia.

Project Owner/s
UPC Renewables Australia.

Project Description
The project involves the construction of a 720 MW solar plant. The solar farm will comprise more than 2.4-million solar panels and 150 power conversion units. The solar photo­voltaic panels will be installed on a single-axis tracking system that follows the path of the sun.

The solar farm will generate enough clean, renewable energy to power 250 000 homes. It will con­nect to TransGrid’s existing transmission line that transects the development site.

The solar farm project will help reduce green­house-gas emissions by up to 1.5-million tonnes of car­bon dioxide a year. The project also pro­poses to include a lithium-ion battery storage facility capable of dispatching energy to the grid at times of high energy demand. Under the pro­posal, the battery energy storage system could be built in stages, up to a maximum size of 400 MWh.

Potential Job Creation
The solar farm will create up to 700 full-time jobs during construction, provide work for local busi­nesses and suppliers and diversify income for rural landowners.

Capital Expenditure
A$768-million.

Planned Start/End Date
The project is expected to start construction in mid-2020 and will take about three years to complete.

Latest Developments
The New South Wales Independent Planning Commission concluded in March this year that the solar farm was in the public interest. It found that the agricultural capability of the land would not be impacted on by the development and that it would not have a significant visual impact.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
None stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
UPC Renewables Australia, email info@newenglandsolarfarm.com.au.