The New South Wales government has given the green light to what will be the state’s largest solar park — a 290-MW photovoltaic (PV) complex coupled with battery storage.
The approval for the so-called Wollar Solar Farm was issued by the state’s Department of Planning in late February. Calling for an investment of AUD 431 million (USD 283m/EUR 248.6m), the project was developed by the Australian company of the same name, Wollar Solar Development Pty Ltd.
The solar farm will be installed on former grazing land between the towns of Denman and Mudgee, in New South Wales’ greater Hunter region, and will be able to generate electricity for around 108,000 homes, once operational. It will be equipped with more than 920,000 solar panels and will also have an integrated 30MW/30MWh battery storage facility.
The scheme has been designated as a state significant development project. Up to 320 jobs are expected to be created during the 12-18 month construction period. The proposal was given local council support and raised no community objections, the government said.
(AUD 1.0 = USD 0.657/EUR 0.577)