New England Solar – a large-scale solar and battery development

Client: ACEN Australia
Location: NSW / Australia
Date: 2020 - 2024

One of the nation’s largest co-located solar and battery energy storage projects

Description

In Australia’s New England region, one of the nation’s largest co-located solar and battery energy storage projects is progressing – a development set to bring significant benefits to its local community and the country’s renewable energy transition.

The solar farm and battery energy storage system (BESS) are located in the Uralla shire of the New England region, about 500 km north of Sydney in the state of New South Wales (NSW). The region is home to one of NSW’s 5 proposed renewable energy zones (REZs), which are areas intended to encourage investment in renewable generation and storage projects and are expected to be supported with transmission upgrades.

The first stage of the solar farm is 400 MW and was completed at the end of 2023. It was the largest solar farm in Australia at the time. The second stage of the project will add another 320 MW of solar and is underway. The 200 MW/400 MWh BESS project kicked off in mid-2024.

Solution

Entura was engaged to provide Owner’s Engineer services to ACEN Australia for the first stage of the solar farm and was subsequently engaged to assist with the BESS concept design and the second stage of the solar farm. The first stage involved:

  • reviewing plans and designs
  • helping the owner respond to technical issues
  • reviewing quality assurance plans and information
  • conducting site inspections and quality reviews
  • evaluating performance and availability guarantee tests.

The early stages of the project was met with a number of challenges including the onset of COVID 19 and restrictions on movements.  Fortunately, a local Entura specialist was able to perform site inspections despite the stringent COVID-related travel restrictions. Entura played a key role in both the review of documentation and site inspections of installed infrastructure.

Following on from our Owner’s Engineer role for the first stage of the solar farm, we were engaged to provide advice on the BESS and to support inputs for a development application to expand the BESS capacity. We were then then selected as Owner’s Engineer for the BESS as well as for the second stage of the solar farm.

Outcome

Once complete, the project is expected to be able to power the equivalent of 300,000 average Australian homes and avoid 4 million tonnes of carbon emissions over 25 years. It is also providing around 450 jobs at peak construction and 15 ongoing operational jobs. ACEN Australia is active in the local community and is providing a substantial community benefit fund across a 25-year period.

This solar and BESS combination is a leading example of how renewable energy and storage can complement each other to support Australia’s energy transition, providing reliable and secure clean energy to address the impending shortfall in coal generation as the nation’s thermal fleet progressively retires.

With its positive contribution to the environment and society, this project is set to provide greater confidence for local communities in the future expansion of renewable energy and storage in New England REZ and across the nation.

Entura has also supported another of ACEN Australia’s renewable energy projects, as Owner’s Engineer for the 400 MW Stubbo Solar development in central-west NSW.