Construction company DT Infrastructure (DTI) has secured a contract to deliver Lightsource bp’s 450MW Goulburn River solar PV plant in New South Wales, Australia.
As reported by PV Tech yesterday (16 December), Lightsource bp commenced the construction phase of the Goulburn River solar PV plant and the 214MW Woolooga solar-plus-storage project in Queensland, following its success in the first tender round of the Capacity Investment Scheme (CIS), which saw solar PV awarded 2.8GW.
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Under the terms of the contract, DTI will deliver a comprehensive scope of works, including civil, structural, and electrical infrastructure, to enable the solar PV power plant to be connected to the grid.
DTI chief executive John Anderson hailed the financial and economic benefits that will come with the Goulburn River solar PV plant, stating that it will “provide huge benefits in terms of renewable energy supply and economic outcomes for the state”.
The construction company has experience delivering large-scale solar PV plants in Australia having been selected to develop the 60MW Chichester plant on behalf of Australian mining giant Fortescue Metals Group in Western Australia.
DTI has also had a hand in developing other energy infrastructure, such as the Bango and Berrybank wind farms, which have a generation capacity of 244MW and 180MW, respectively.
This expertise in delivering crucial infrastructure was noted by Wayne Goodwin, country head of Australia at Lightsource bp.
“DT Infrastructure’s role in the Goulburn River solar farm marks an important milestone for the project. Their expertise and participation will make an important contribution to helping us advance towards delivering renewable, reliable, and affordable energy to thousands of homes, while supporting Australia’s energy transition,” Goodwin said.
The Goulburn River project recently received development consent from the Australian government. It will cover a 793-hectare site around 28km southwest of Merriwa, 273km northwest of Sydney and cost around AU$880 million (US$596 million) to construct fully.
The project plans detail that it will comprise approximately one million bifacial solar PV modules in an east-west single-axis tracking arrangement, with an approximate height of three metres. It will have an operational lifespan of around 40 years.
As part of the project, a 49MW/392MWh 8-hour duration BESS will be installed later to enable hybridisation. The project is anticipated to be operational by the end of 2026.
