Acen secures approval for 1.2 GW solar-plus-battery project in Australia

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From pv magazine Australia

The New South Wales IPC has granted development consent for Acen Australia’s proposed Birriwa solar and battery project that is to include a 600 MW solar farm alongside a battery energy storage system of up to 600 MW, with two hours of storage capacity.

The estimated AUD 1 billion ($668 million) project, planned for a site of mostly cleared grazing land about 20 kilometers southeast of Dunedoo within the Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone (REZ), was referred to the IPC after attracting at least 50 submissions objecting to its development.

The commission has, after a site visit, public hearing, and consideration of 65 written submissions from the community, now granted consent to the project subject to conditions including setting solar arrays back a minimum of 30 meters from the site boundaries, restricting development vehicles from using specific sections of the surrounding road network, and the preparation of soil and water management plans.

In its statement of reasons for the decision, the IPC said the proposed site is “consistent with the established strategic planning framework, as it will deliver renewable energy within an established REZ that will contribute to electricity generation in [New South Wales] and contribute to the State’s renewable energy transition.”

While the project still requires approval under the federal government’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, Acen said the IPC decision is a significant milestone for the project.

“Our attention will now turn to preparing for construction, including development of temporary workers accommodation, implementing our strategies to employ local staff where possible, and to source goods and services from local businesses,” the company said. “We anticipate construction will commence in late 2026 or early 2027, with energy generation from the project anticipated around 2029, in line with the CWO REZ timeframes.”

Acen said the Birriwa solar and battery project is the first generation and storage project approved for connection to the CWO REZ transmission network.

The project is to connect to the National Electricity Market via the Merotherie Energy Hub, part of the new transmission network infrastructure being developed by EnergyCo to accommodate the at least 4.5 GW of new generation capacity expected to be added in the renewable energy zone.

Acen itself is developing several projects in the CWO REZ, including the nearby 400 MW Stubbo solar project being built near Dubbo to the south, and the 320 MW Narragamba solar project.

These form part of the developer’s Australian portfolio that already exceeds more than 1 GW capacity of large-scale renewable energy generation under construction and in operation, with an additional 8 GW of solar, wind, battery, and pumped hydro projects in the development pipeline.

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