Major solar project in Victoria panned by state arbitrator

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
The Bookaar Solar Farm is a joint project of Infinergy Pacific and the site’s landowners, Liberal MP Stewart McArthur and his family. Source: Infinergy

A 200MW solar project planned for Victoria, southern Australia, has been denied planning permission by the state's planning arbitrator.

In its decision, the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) deemed the hydrological and bushfire assessments in the project proposal for the Bookaar Solar Farm “inadequate” and said it had concerns about the proposal’s overall lack of detail.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

“The tribunal acknowledges that a detailed plan is not required for all of the technical assessments, and that the applicant needs to maintain some flexibility in the final layout of the solar panel arrays to take account of emerging technology,” the report on the decision reads. “However, the substituted plans […] show little more than an outline of the site.” It said that the project's backers must submit a fresh planning permission application for the proposal to be reconsidered.

Bookaar was referred to the VCAT after Corangamite Shire council denied the project planning permission in September 2018 on several grounds, but in particular that the plant would monopolise agricultural land.

The Bookaar Solar Farm is a joint project of Infinergy Pacific and the site’s landowners, former Liberal MP Stewart McArthur and his family. They estimate that the project will generate up to 420GWh annually for 30 years and want to deploy 700,000 solar panels across the 558-hectare site. The array will be connected to an existing 220kV transmission line that cuts through the site.

Speaking at the time of the initial rebuff, Infinergy spokesperson Richard Seymour noted that the farm is a “temporary structure and it would only take 0.2% of available agricultural land in Corangamite Shire. It would have brought AU$150m of investment to the shire, generating 150 construction jobs and up to 12 full time jobs. It is clear that local people have hugely missed out.”

The company had not commented on the VCAT's decision by the time this article was published. 

Residents of Camperdown, a town 10 kilometres away from the site, have mounted fierce opposition to the solar project, citing concerns about bushfires, noise pollution, property devaluation, loss of land, water and drainage issues, and the farm’s aesthetic. The solar project would be larger than the town itself, which is roughly 400 hectares in size.

Infinergy Pacific develops solar and wind energy projects in Australia and New Zealand. It is a subsidiary of UK-based Infinergy Limited.

Read Next

September 17, 2025
Spanish renewables developer and operator Acciona Energía has commissioned its 412MWp Juna solar PV plant in Kawani village in the western state of Rajasthan. 
September 17, 2025
Nexamp has secured US$350 million through a long-term financing facility to expand its 6GW utility-scale solar and battery storage pipeline in the US. 
September 17, 2025
QatarEnergy has signed an EPC agreement with Samsung C&T for its 2GW Dukhan project. 
September 16, 2025
Sunotec has launched Sunotec Nordic to spearhead solar and hybrid renewable project development across the Nordic region.
September 16, 2025
IB Solar is investing INR30 billion (US$340 million) in a 4GW TOPCon solar cell and module manufacturing plant in Jewar, Uttar Pradesh.
September 15, 2025
Sunrun has priced a securitisation of leases and power purchase agreements, taking its non-recourse debt capital raised in Q3 above US$1.5 billion. 

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
October 2, 2025
London,UK
Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
Manila, Philippines
Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
San Francisco Bay Area, USA