The 200MW Sunraysia solar farm project near Balranald in western New South Wales has become the largest solar project in the state to receive planning approval.
Solar farm developer Maoneng, which has built the smaller 13MW Mugga Lane solar farm in the ACT (pictured below), said it received the planning approval last week nd hopes to begin construction by the end of the year and to be complete by the summer of 2018/19.
Maoneng says the solar farm will be located in one of the sunniest parts of NSW and is expected to produce around 530,000MWh of electricity a year. It is considering adding storage at a later date.
According to RenewEconomy data, a total of six solar farms have already begun construction in NSW – on top of the four already completed – and Sunraysia is one of at least 21 aspiring solar projects
“The development approval will be followed by further consultation with various stakeholders in developing detailed construction management plans,” Maoneng vice president Qiao Nan Han said in a statement
“This process will run in parallel to our current contractor selection process to ensure that all conditions of consent are correctly adhered to. We are looking to start construction by the end of the year with an anticipated construction period of 12 months.”
