Neoen obtains permission for 450MW solar-storage project in New South Wales

• Local authorities in New South Wales, Australia, have provided French independent power manufacturer Neoen the thumbs-up to create a large scale solar-plus-storage production center in the region regardless of getting 50 complaints from members of the public.

The Culcairn Solar Farm, which will be located in the NSW Riverina Region, will certainly consist of 350MW of solar capability alongside a 100MW/200MWh battery energy storage system.

The Department of Planning, Sector as well as Environment settled its analysis of the project in January, and also Neoen's preparation application was offered the state's Independent Planning Commission after it received problems from a local council as well as greater than 50 participants of the public. In a meeting with citizens held earlier this month, members of the area shared concerns concerning the loss of agricultural land, biodiversity, environmental impacts, as well as bushfire risk.

Under the conditions of the IPC's project authorization, Neoen needs to embark on procedures to reduce any type of negative environmental influences, set requirements and also efficiency procedures for appropriate environmental efficiency in the area, and prepare a strategy to return the site to its pre-existing state when the project is decommissioned.

Neoen's AU$ 636 million (US$ 485.4 million) project is anticipated to begin business procedures by mid-2022, as well as have the capability to create about 800GWh of electrical energy per year.

The farm is anticipated to develop 350 jobs during its construction, according to the IPC's filing, and seven long-term positions when it ends up being functional.

Neoen is aiming to more than increase its eco-friendly power capacity by 2025. It has actually begun to concentrate on expanding its visibility in regions such as Queensland, where it is also establishing what, at 460MWp capacity, stands to be Australia's largest solar farm.