EDP Renewables plans multiple solar and storage sites for inland city

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EDPR Australia has lodged applications to develop three 5 MW solar power plants and battery energy storage systems with an expected combined capacity of 15 MW / 30 MWh on the outskirts of Orange in regional New South Wales (NSW)

The development applications, published for exhibition by the Orange City Council, detail plans for two projects: the first comprising two 5 MW solar plants and co-located batteries on a 13-hectare site on Cadia Road, about 5.5 kilometres southwest of the town centre.

The second project, proposed for a 7 ha site on Lone Pine Avenue about 4 km southeast of the town centre, comprises a 5 MW solar farm and a battery energy storage system with an expected capacity of 5 MW / 10 MWh.

A spokesperson for EDPR said each of the solar plants would consist of about 16,000 solar modules installed on a PEG system.

“PEG systems are ground-mounted PV systems that comprise of high-density, lightweight solar arrays,” they said, adding that the solution is “a very compact form of development and well suited to this site.”

In its planning documents, EDPR said the proposed projects would connect to Essential Energy’s local distribution network with the output of the facilities to contribute to the supply of electricity for households and businesses in Orange, home to an estimated 42,000 residents.

“Any surplus electricity will be stored by the battery energy storage systems and or sent to the grid,” it said, noting that the proposed “town-scale” solar farms – which avoid the Australian Energy Market Operator’s more stringent connection regulations – aim to “fill the gap” between rooftop solar and large-scale PV.

The EDPR spokesperson said the new solar and battery projects, dubbed Orange South 8B and 9B, and Orange South 7A, are in addition to another 5 MW solar farm and 10.5 MWh battery energy storage system being constructed at Orange by the developer in collaboration with OCREP Central West New South Wales Co-operative.

The Orange Community Renewable Energy Park, being built about 6 km northwest of the town centre and expected to commence commercial operation later this year, was acquired by EDPR as part of its 2024 acquisition of Canberra-based solar and energy storage developer ITP Development.

That deal delivered EDPR, part of the multi-national energy major EDP Renewables group, more than 1.5 GW of solar, wind and battery energy storage projects across regional Australia.

These include the proposed 450 MW Merino Solar Farm near Goulburn in NSW, which will have an up to 450 MW / 1,800 MWh battery attached to it, and another in Queensland which includes 480 MW of solar and 200 MW battery capacity. EDPR Australia opted not to disclose the specific the location or other details of this project.

EDP Renewables has more than 15 GW installed capacity in 29 markets across Europe, North America, South America and Asia Pacific.

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