Oil giant venture forges ahead with another big solar and battery project in NSW

The solar arm of global oil giant BP is cementing its position as one of the biggest utility-scale PV project developers in Australia, as it moves ahead on plans to build a 550MW solar farm with a 260MW/520MWh big battery in the Upper Hunter region of New South Wales.

The Goulburn River solar farm is proposed for construction by Lightsource bp on private farmland south of the town of Merriwa, and will be designed to accommodate ongoing sheep grazing among the panels.

Lightsource – BP’s joint venture with UK solar company Lightsource – expects to lodge formal planning applications for the project later this year after completing preliminary assessments, site design and community consultation.

The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) referral for the project was opened to public comment earlier this month.

According to project documents, the solar farm would comprise around 950,000 bifacial solar modules in an east-west single-axis tracking arrangement sitting about 5 metres above ground level – to make room for the sheep.

The proposed battery energy storage system with around two hours storage duration would be housed in a series of outdoor containers which Lightsource says could be distributed across the site or aggregated in one central location.

The solar farm is one of five projects the global renewables JV is developing in New South Wales, including the  400MW Gundary Solar Farm and big battery in the state’s Southern Tablelands region.

Another three solar projects are in various stages of the planning and development pipeline in Victoria, while the 214MW Woolooga solar farm is nearing completion in Queensland.

In August, Lightsource bp announced financial close on its Wellington North and Wunghnu solar projects – in Victoria and NSW, respectively – through offtake deals with mining and infrastructure giant, Orica and confectionery giant Mars Australia.

At the time, the company said it was on track to reach become the largest solar developer and owner in Australia.

“We have been able to deliver our projects managing major disruptions, including commodity price increases, escalating costs, supply chain disruptions, and COVID-19,” said Lightsource bp managing director of Australia and NZ, Adam Pegg, at the time.

“The outlook for solar in Australia and the region is incredibly strong, with increasing political support, greater investor certainty, and capital looking to participate in the sector.”