The Middlebrook Solar Farm and battery energy storage project, being developed by TotalEnergies near Tamworth in the state’s northeast, has joined the queue for assessment under the federal government’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act.
The project, which has already secured approval from the New South Wales (NSW) Independent Planning Commission (IPC), is proposed for a 515-hectare site about 20 kilometres south Tamworth.
TotalEnergies plans to build a 320 MW solar farm featuring approximately 750,000 PV modules mounted on a single-axis tracking system. A battery energy storage system sized at 320 MW and 780 MWh would be established in conjunction with the solar farm to regulate the supply of electricity to the grid. The facility would connect to the National Electricity Market (NEM) via Transgrid’s existing 330 kV transmission line that traverses the site.
In its determination, the IPC said that the project site is “suitable for renewable energy development given its location close to existing electricity transmission networks, solar resources, avoidance of major environmental constraints … and potential for continued use of the land for grazing.”
The Middlebrook Solar Farm and battery project had however been referred to the EPBC for federal approval due to potential impacts on koala and bird habitats and native trees and grasslands which are listed as endangered under the EPBC Act.
TotalEnergies says in documents submitted to the EPBC portal that a “significant impact is unlikely” and that “most of the direct impacts affect non-native vegetation.”
“The project area has been significantly cleared of native vegetation for stock grazing and cropping,” the developer said, noting that grazing is likely to continue within the operational areas of the solar farm, for the life of the project.
“The options agreement with the landowners includes grazing principles to manage this activity,” it said.
Pending project approval, construction of the Middlebrook Solar Farm and battery project is anticipated to start later this year, with TotalEnergies eyeing a commissioning date in 2027.
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