The Broken Hill Solar Plant is on the cusp of completion, with the last of 677,760 solar panels installed.
The plant is currently generating up to 27 MW of renewable energy into the grid, with the remaining 26 MW expected to be brought online this month. It began feeding renewable energy into the grid for the first time in mid-September, after its sister project – the Nyngan Solar Plant – achieved a significant milestone for large-scale PV in Australia.
Acting Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) Chief Executive Ian Kay said there is a real sense of momentum currently driving large-scale solar in Australia.
“The Broken Hill and Nyngan solar plants are already supplying power to Australian homes and we now have $350 million available through ARENA and the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, which will further accelerate growth in the sector.
“Large-scale solar has a vital role to play in Australia’s energy mix. ARENA’s $100 million large-scale solar round is well positioned to harness our world-class solar resource and double the capacity of our nation’s large-scale solar by encouraging investment, reducing finance costs and building robust supply chains.”
Mr Kay said there has been “serious interest” in ARENA’s solar round, and is looking forward to taking strong proposals forward and building on the significant achievements of AGL, First Solar and others.
“ARENA has shared a myriad of knowledge throughout the construction of both plants, from how to most effectively procure equipment to managing local supply chains. This invaluable information will give future large-scale solar projects a head start.”
The $440 million AGL solar project in Nyngan and Broken Hill was constructed with $166.7 million ARENA support and $64.9 million NSW Government support.
