New South Wales

The grass below the 110 MW Beryl Solar Farm in central New South Wales caught fire on Monday, April 24, and was brought under control by emergency services that same afternoon. While the damage is still being assessed, a spokesperson said the unaffected areas of the solar farm will be brought back online today, April 26.

Construction of Australia’s largest energy transmission project is powering ahead with the foundations for one of the biggest substations in the Southern Hemisphere being poured in New South Wales while in South Australia the largest transformers in the state’s high voltage network are now being installed.

Origin Energy will “within weeks” begin building the first stage of a planned 700 MW/2,800 MWh grid-connected battery energy storage system being developed at the site of Australia’s largest coal-fired power plant that is set to be shut down in less than 28 months.

Construction of the 400 MW Stubbo Solar Farm being built near Dubbo in the New South Wales central west is scheduled to start next month with developer ACEN Australia launching the tender process for a suite of works packages associated with the $800 million PV project.

Australia’s transition to clean, renewable energy has reached a major milestone with AGL today commencing the process of shutting down the last of three coal-fired generating units still operating at its Liddell power station in New South Wales as it prepares to completely close the facility before the end of the month.

After more than five decades, the last operating units of the Liddell coal-fired power station will close this month. The station’s owner, AGL, is Australia’s largest carbon polluter. Liddell’s closure will reduce the company’s emissions by 17%.

In a strongly-worded submission, two experts claim AEMO’s backbone interconnector proposed between Victoria and New South Wales is a “monumental mistake” and relies on analysis that is “biased, flawed and in parts dishonest.”

Australian renewable developer GMR Energy, formerly Maoneng, has started work on its 240 MW / 480 MWh battery project on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula. The company has entered into an early works agreement with network AusNet, and is aiming to complete the $330 million (USD 220 million) by 2024, two years after the company had originally forecast.

The New South Wale government’s competitive tender for 380 MW of ‘firming’ battery capacity has now opened.

The investment arm of Ikea franchisee owner Ingka Group has added to its utility scale renewable energy assets in Australia with the acquisition of a 195 MWp solar farm portfolio from the regional division of German renewables developer Enerparc.