An artist’s impression of the solar and battery project. Photos: NSW Government.
Work has begun on a $900 million solar farm and battery project near Bungendore that is being hailed as a major milestone for regional infrastructure and energy security in NSW.
Premier Chris Minns on Tuesday (10 March) joined representatives from proponent Octopus Australia to officially break ground on the Blind Creek Solar Farm and Battery project.
The project combines a 300 MW, million-panel solar farm with a 243 MW/486 MWh battery, capturing energy during the day and dispatching it into the evening peak, when demand is highest.
By pairing solar generation with storage, it produces firmed renewable electricity that gives customers price certainty and confidence in delivery.
It will generate enough electricity to power 120,000 homes.
The NSW Government says this is a bankable energy product designed to strengthen grid reliability and provide clean, dispatchable supply as ageing coal stations retire.
It will also be compatible with farming, dispelling some of the misinformation around such projects.
The site will connect to the transmission backbone between Sydney and Canberra via a new substation.
The project will support up to 300 full-time equivalent jobs at peak construction, with about half expected to be sourced from the local Bungendore and Monaro regions.
NSW Premier Chris Minns said the Blind Creek facility was the kind of project NSW needed as ageing energy infrastructure was replaced.
Mr Minns said the clock was ticking for government to ensure coal-fired generation was replaced with renewable generation and storage.
“The truth of the matter is we’ve got four big coal-fired power stations that are closing down in the years to come, and they’re doing it quicker than many people think,” he said.
“If they go without replacement power in place, as high as power bills are today, they’ll get higher tomorrow.”
NSW Premier Chris Minns, Member for Monaro Steve Whan and Octopus Australia’s Sam Reynolds on site.
Mr Minns said more renewable projects needed to be built, and he understood that, in some cases, there was community consternation and controversy about that.
But there was no choice and the government had been clear about that.
“We want to back good companies like Octopus that invest back into the community and do massive amounts of community consultation to get these projects up and running,” he said.
“We want to see good projects like this one up and running, sending out a big, bold, and open offer to those that want to build energy production in a state that is attractive to it and open to it.
“We will provide the opportunities to ensure that it’s not going to get bogged down in the planning and approval process.”
Blind Creek was initiated in partnership with local sheep farmers seeking to integrate agriculture with energy production to future-proof their properties and the local community.
The solar farm has been specifically designed to allow animal production to continue on the land, as it has for 155 years, with a boost in grazing capability also expected as a result of protection from winds, partial shading, condensation, and organic soil improvements from the project.
Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education Minister and Member for Monaro, Steve Whan, said the project had been driven by landowners and local farmers who felt this was a suitable site for such a project.
“It’s very exciting for me as someone who’s been involved for some years prior to coming back into politics, with the renewables and agriculture area that we’re seeing here, this is a project which is making it absolutely clear that you can continue to graze around a solar installation like this,” he said.
“You continue to run a viable farming operation, and that’s important for people to understand, because often we hear too much negativity around that in our community, so this is going to be a terrific example of that.”
Mr Whan said the project would also provide funding for community activities and road upgrades.
Global capital is behind the project, with investment from Australian superannuation funds Hostplus and Rest, the Commonwealth’s Clean Energy Finance Corporation, Westpac Private Bank and Dutch pension giant APG.
Octopus Australia CEO Sam Reynolds said the project showed what happened when global capital, Australian super and regional farming families aligned under stable government policy.
“You get real infrastructure, real clean electricity and real jobs,” he said.
“Octopus Australia’s strategy is designed precisely for this, to align long-term capital with regional communities and deliver bankable projects.”
Mr Reynolds said Octopus was building projects to bring Australia’s electricity system into the 21st century and power 21st-century demand, such as electric vehicles and data centres.
He said Octopus would operate the Blind Creek site for 40 years.
“We’ve got a $20 billion pipeline of other sites like this, and we’re looking at NSW to be a really scalable player,” he said.
Construction is being led by EPC Contractor GRS, with Wärtsilä Energy Storage supplying the battery energy storage system (BESS). The project is due to be fully operational in 2028.
Octopus Australia is an energy fund manager and developer harnessing capital and expertise to accelerate the energy transition, with a portfolio and pipeline of over $16 billion across wind, solar and battery storage projects.
Original Article published by Ian Bushnell on Region Canberra.
