OX2 has submitted plans for a 128 MW solar farm with a 128 MW / 256 MWh battery energy storage system proposed for Queensland to the federal government for assessment under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act.
The Sunshine State Solar Farm and battery energy storage system (BESS) project is proposed for a 190-hectare site near Balgal Beach on the north Queensland coast, about 50 kilometres northwest of Townsville. The property is currently used for cattle grazing but was previously a sugarcane farm.
The project includes a 128 MW PV power plant, featuring approximately 235,000 solar panels, coupled with a battery energy storage system.
“The 2.48 ha battery will store up to 128 MW of energy which can supply two hours of electricity,” OX2 said. “This will enable the project to store energy for dispatch into the grid during periods of peak demand which contributes to increased grid stability and security.”
OX2 said the Sunshine State project will connect to the electricity network via a switching station linked to the existing 132 kV transmission line.
Construction is expected to take up to 18 months, and once operational the project will have the capacity to power the equivalent of 55,000 homes and displace about 200,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.
OX2 – which is a major player in European markets and has a development, construction, asset management and operations portfolio of more than 33 GW – entered the Australian market in 2023 through the acquisition of solar energy development company Esco Pacific.
It now has a pipeline of 11 projects in development or construction in Australia and seven operational solar farms with a total combined capacity of more than 2.4 GW.
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