Renewable energy developer Acen Australia has submitted assessment documents for its 600MW Birriwa solar-plus-storage in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, through the Federal government’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC).
The project is set to be developed on an area of approximately 1,200 hectares consisting of mostly cleared grazing land, about 20km southeast of Dunedoo, in the NSW Central-West Orana region, the location of one of the Renewable Energy Zones (REZ) being developed in the state. The REZ recently transitioned into the delivery phase, as reported by PV Tech.
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Acen Australia said the project will incorporate a centralised battery energy storage system (BESS) of up to 600MW/1,200MWh for a 2-hour duration. This will enable excess electricity generated by the PV facilities to be captured and released during periods of high demand. The system will also provide grid stability services and backup capacity to ensure the security of supply.
According to documents observed on the EPBC website, the project will look to install approximately one million solar PV modules and associated mounting infrastructure. The site will also include an on-site substation with a connection voltage of up to 500kV.
Construction of the project, which will have an average workforce of 360 throughout the development phase, will last 28 months, with the construction of the BESS expected to take around 16 months. Throughout operations, a workforce of up to 20 people will be required.
It is worth noting that the Birriwa solar-plus-storage project will be located next to two other solar projects developed by Acen Australia, as seen in the image above. These are the 400MW Stubbo solar PV project, at which construction began in November 2022, and the 320MW Narragamba solar project. These projects will connect to new transmission infrastructure developed by the Energy Corporation of NSW (EnergyCo) as part of the Central-West Orana REZ.
Once the Birriwa solar project receives approval, it will be able to transition into the construction phase. It will connect to the Merotherie Energy Hub and the transmission line proposed by EnergyCo NSW.
Acen Australia’s growing pipeline
Readers of PV Tech will be aware that Acen Australia has been bolstering its solar PV pipeline in the country. In July, the organisation submitted a scoping report for its 100MW Cooma Solar and Battery project in NSW.
The scoping report, which represents the initial phase of the planning approvals process, has been submitted to the New South Wales Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure.
Last year, PV Tech also reported that Acen had started operating the first phase of its 936MWdc New England solar project in NSW. The project was granted formal registration to send power to the National Electricity Market (NEM) by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) in December 2022.
