Construction of AGL’s Nyngan solar flagship plant set to begin

Published by

Construction of what will be the largest solar PV plant in the Southern Hemisphere – AGL Energy’s $300 million, 102MW Nyngan Solar Plant in central NSW – is set to begin in January 2014, the company has announced.

The start date for the project was announced on Monday, less than two weeks after First Solar – who is building the PV plant – appointed Australian manufacturing company IXL Group to supply major structural components for the project.

Nyngan Solar Plant had its inception in the federal government’s Solar Flagships program, a renewables scheme created under the first Rudd regime to foster the development of utility-scale solar projects.

After some years and a good deal of trouble securing the private financial backing necessary to gain access to the government funds, AGL managed to bridge the gap with a little help from the NSW Government ($64.9 million), the Education Infrastructure Fund($40 million), and the federal government’s Australian Renewable Energy Agency, or ARENA ($166.7 million).

Now, it is expected to be completed in June 2015, at which time its more than 1,350,000 solar PV modules will generate around 230,000 MW hours of electricity a year – the equivalent of supplying energy to more than 33,000 average New South Wales homes, says AGL.

“Right now we’re looking at engaging local contractors to build necessary fencing at the site and a major intersection and road works. We hope to have those contractors on board before Christmas,” said AGL’s Manager Power Development, Adam Mackett.

“We’re also committed to community engagement and support throughout the life of the project and are proud to announce we will again be the major sponsor of the AGL Nyngan Ag Expo in August 2014.”

Nyngan solar plant will be complemented by AGL’s second solar plant at Broken Hill, due to commence construction in mid-2014, with an expected completion date of November 2015.

Together the two solar plants will cover an area equivalent to Sydney’s CBD and North Sydney with PV modules, and will deliver a total capacity of 155MW of energy for NSW.

“It is now full-steam ahead for both projects with Nyngan on the eve of construction. It’s an exciting time not just because of the economic benefits to the regions but also the environmental benefits – the savings in CO2 emissions alone will equate to about 82,000 fewer cars on the roads,” said Mr Mackett.”

Sophie Vorrath

Sophie is editor of One Step Off The Grid and deputy editor of its sister site, Renew Economy. She is the co-host of the Solar Insiders Podcast. Sophie has been writing about clean energy for more than a decade.

Share
Published by

Recent Posts

Robbins Island wind farm beats Supreme Court challenge, but still awaits EPBC ruling

Hotly contested plans to build 900MW wind farm on Robbins Island off north-west Tasmania have…

27 February 2025

SwitchedOn Podcast: The struggle to switch on a community battery

In the first of a new series of interviews with local groups installing community batteries,…

27 February 2025

New renewables developer proposes solar farm and big battery for Tamworth hinterland

The solar and battery project south of Tamworth is the first from a newly formed…

27 February 2025

“Too far, too fast:” bp details renewables backtrack, puts Australian green hydrogen mega-projects on ice

bp says fossil fuel reset follows "misplaced optimism" for a fast energy transition, with renewable…

27 February 2025

Snowy Hydro calls for heads to roll after “flying shrapnel” halts tunneling works, again

Snowy Hydro sheets blame to the contractor of its beleaguered pumped hydro project after a…

27 February 2025

“Last ditch:” Australia’s richest woman takes on local environment laws in Canada coal power play

A push by Gina Rinehart's Hancock group to open The Rockies to coal mining faces…

27 February 2025