The development – consisting of a five megawatt (MW) solar farm and battery system – has been proposed for a site off the Princes Highway near Cobargo. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
A development application (DA) has been lodged for a solar farm and battery system near Cobargo on the NSW South Coast.
The project’s DA was submitted to Bega Valley Shire Council by EDPR Australia Pty Ltd.
It is listed with a $9,570,000 price tag.
The documents state that, if given the green light, the Cobargo Microgrid Solar Farm would feature a five megawatt (MW) farm, with a DC capacity of 7.4 MWp, across a development area of 13.42 hectares.
About 10,620 solar modules would be installed in 177 rows, with seven metres between the rows.
Each module would be about 2.6 metres high.
“The development will not cause fragmentation or alienation of resource land as livestock grazing may continue beneath and around the solar array when the facility is constructed and operating,” an environmental effects report states.
There would also be an inverter station, as well as two 3.4 MW inverters.
The site is currently used for grazing and is located just over two kilometres south-west of Cobargo.
A nearby resident, who asked not to be identified, said there had been no consultation with the community or nearby landholders around this proposal, before the DA lodgement.
They also said that while landowners had been approached several years ago, they had pushed back against it.
The resident said they would be writing to the council, advocating against the DA, and alleged there were inaccuracies in the DA documents.
“The Cobargo area will have no benefit … There’s no benefit if we have a major disaster.”
The resident told Region they weren’t satisfied with the proposed development, pointing to its visual impact on the landscape (including on their “lovely view”) and its glare risk.
The DA proposes a series of trees, which would be planted around the solar farm to help shield it from view.
“The overall impact on landscape character is assessed to be high for both private property and the public domain,” a report examining the planned project’s visual impact states.
“However, the presence of roadside, riparian and boundary vegetation and clusters of trees within properties, the undulating topography and the backdrop of vegetated ranges temper the effects on landscape character.”
The resident said they didn’t believe this would be enough to shield it from view, saying the trees would “take 20 years” to grow.
If approved, the development would be located across a 13.42-hectare site. Image: Supplied.
The resident also had concerns the project’s planned use of cut and fill risked contaminating Wallaga Lake after a significant flood, and that glare from the panels might result in eye complications in residents.
A report into the proposed project’s potential for glint and glare studied more than 40 sites within two kilometres of the site.
It states that most of the glare was identified in the early mornings and late evenings, and one minute of ‘yellow case’ – a kind of glare which can cause an afterimage – was identified.
None of the sites evaluated are believed to receive more than nine minutes of glare in a day.
In a statement to Region, an EDP Renewables Australia spokesperson said the proposed solar farm was intended to strengthen the town’s energy security.
“The location and design enable the project to act as a microgrid to power Cobargo even if the town is disconnected from the main grid. … In addition, the integration of battery storage and ‘island mode’ functionality further enables the town to operate independently from the broader grid during outages, ensuring continuity of supply when it is needed most.”
The spokesperson said “numerous meetings” had been held with the community, pointing to discussions with adjacent neighbours in 2023 that were used to directly inform the project’s final design.
If approved, the solar farm is expected to operate for about 35 years (depending on market conditions), with that period not including its construction and decommissioning.
Documents lodged with the DA indicate that the Southern Regional Planning Panel will ultimately assess the proposal.
The DA, with the application number 20/2026, can be viewed through the council’s website. People can make submissions until 2 March.
