Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt has confirmed that the Forbes Solar Farm Project has been given the all-clear just 19 days after being referred for assessment under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act.
The project, being developed by Sydney-based Ace Power in partnership with the local arm of Japanese energy giant Osaka Gas and comprising a 141 MWdc solar farm and a 120 MW / 480 MWh battery energy storage system, was determined “not a controlled action” by the minister, freeing it from full assessment under the EPBC Act.
Watt said the 141 MWdc solar farm and up to 120 MW / 480 MWh battery energy storage system will be constructed on degraded agricultural land with minimal native vegetation, clearing the way for its rapid approval.
“By choosing to build this facility on disturbed agricultural land with little native vegetation, the proponent set themselves up for success,” he said. “Their planning has paid off with this rapid approval, which unlocks investment and jobs for the community in and around Forbes.”
The Forbes solar farm and battery project is planned for a 270-hectare site about 11 km north of the township of the same name. When complete, the 141 MWdc solar farm will include more than 196,000 solar panels and will connect into the national electricity network via Transgrid’s existing 132 kV high-voltage transmission line that traverses the project site. Once operational, the project is expected to generate enough clean energy to power the equivalent of 60,000 homes at peak demand for four hours.
The developers said the project will “help address a real and current need” to provide new energy generation and storage capacity to assist the electricity market transition from coal.
In referral documents, the developers said the solar farm would be “operational 24/7” with energy production from the solar farm and the 480 MWh battery charging and discharging during the day and, potentially, at night.
The proponents also expect the project to bring significant investment to the local area with the construction phase predicted to support about 100 jobs.
The project still requires approval by the NSW government.
The Forbes Solar Farm is part of a 2023 deal Ace Power struck with Osaka Gas Energy Oceania to jointly develop a portfolio of solar and battery projects with a total capacity of more than 500 MW in NSW and Queensland.
Osaka Gas Energy Oceania is a wholly owned subsidiary of Japan-headquartered gas and power company Osaka Gas, which has a global presence in the energy sector.
Among the projects being co-developed by the parties is the Narrabri Solar Farm project with plans recently submitted for assessment under the EPBC Act.
The project, that includes a 100 MW solar farm and a co-located 100 MW / 400 MWh battery energy storage system, is planned for a 314 ha site about 11 km northeast of Narrabri in northern NSW.
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