The federal government has given approval – in just 19 days – a solar and battery hybrid project in the central west of NSW that promises the potential of delivering 24/7 power.
The Forbes solar project, near the town of the same name, will include up to 141 MW of solar capacity and a 120 megawatt (MW), minimum 480 megawatt hours (MWh) lithium-ion battery system.
The project, being developed in partnership by Ace Power and Osaka Gas Australia, a subsidiary of the Japanese industrial giant, says in its application that the solar farm “would be operational 24/7”.
It says there will energy production from the solar farm and battery charging, and discharging occurring during the day and (potentially) at night. Battery discharge timing and duration would be determined by demands on the griar.
The project will be constructed on degraded agricultural land with minimal native vegetation, one of the key factors in the speed with which the project secured its approval. It was deemed not to be required to go through the EPBC review.
“By choosing to build this facility on disturbed agricultural land with little native vegetation, the proponent set themselves up for success,” environment minister Murray Watt said in a statement..
“Their planning has paid off with this rapid approval, which unlocks investment and jobs for the community in and around Forbes.”
Construction of the project is expected to create nearly 100 jobs, as well as three ongoing positions during operation. It still requires planning approval from the NSW state government. Its application suggests the battery could have storage of up to 960 MWh, or eight hours of storage.
