The Summerville solar and battery energy storage project being developed by Swedish renewables company OX2 near Lismore in northern New South Wales (NSW) has been awarded federal environmental approval with no conditions.
Australia Environment Minister Murray Watt said the project had been given the all-clear after being referred for assessment under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act just over a month ago.
“This project is an example of good design and site selection leading to fast approval times and ultimately delivering reliable, renewable energy with minimal impact to the environment,” he said.
“And I recognise the plans to maintain grazing on the land, as part of state government approvals, demonstrating once again that there’s ways for renewables and agriculture to work together.”
The $312 million (USD 203.58 million) Summerville project includes a 90 MW solar farm comprising more than 215,000 PV panels spread across a 244-hectare site at Rappville in the Richmond Valley, about 60 kilometres southwest of Lismore. The project will also feature a 90 MW / 360 MWh battery energy storage system.
The facility will connect to the National Electricity Market via and a short underground connection to Transgrid’s existing 132 kV Lismore to Koolkhan transmission line located to the southeast of the site.
OX2 expects construction of the solar farm to start in early 2027 at the latest, and operations to commence in 2028. Once operational, the facility will generate enough clean energy to power the equivalent of 36,000 homes.
In addition, the project is expected to generate 200 jobs during the construction phase. OX2 will also provide approximately $3.1 million to Richmond Valley Council to deliver infrastructure and community benefits.
NSW Minister for the North Coast Janelle Saffin said the project is a big win for the community, delivering broad economic benefits to the region.
“Renewable energy projects are the cheapest form of energy to build,” she said. “They mean more jobs, cleaner energy, and reliable power as more projects like Summerville get built.”
“I’m also happy to see that the successful tenderer will be delivering some funds to Richmond Valley Council to build local infrastructure and support our local community groups. This project won’t just create jobs, it’ll help deliver some much-needed support for our community too.”
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