Huge 450 MW solar farm, 1.8 GWh battery approved for coal hub in Australia

Victoria coal power hub the Latrobe Valley will be home to the state’s largest PV project after the 450 MW Hazelwood North Solar Farm project – which includes a 450 MW/1.8 GWh battery energy storage facility – secured planning permit approval, paving the way for construction to start.

The Hazelwood North Solar Farm, being developed by family-owned Latrobe Valley company Manthos Investments, and project managed by Robert Luxmoore, will be built on an 1,100-hectare property between Morwell and Traralgon, about 150 km east of Melbourne.

In its planning application, the developer said the project will benefit from energy infrastructure in the region and will utilize excess grid capacity left by the closure of the coal-fired Hazelwood power station in 2017 as well as the upcoming closure of the Yallourn and Loy Yang power stations, in 2028 and 2035, respectively.

“The region has historically been the center of Victoria’s power generation system and has, therefore, seen significant investment in electricity infrastructure,” said the planning application. “With the decline in coal-fired power generation, there are opportunities to fill Australia’s power needs with renewable energy.”

Construction of Hazelwood North Solar Farm is expected to start during 2024 and when complete, the project will be larger than any PV site operating in Victoria.

The 450 MW solar project will be capable of generating more than 700 GWh of clean electricity annually with the four-hour battery energy storage system allowing for consistent electricity supply to the grid.

Victoria planning minister Sonya Kilkenny said the project will support the state’s renewable energy generation targets of 65%, by 2030, and 95% by 2035. Those generation ambitions are supported by energy storage targets of at least 2.6 GW by 2030 and 6.3 GW by 2035.

“The approval of the Hazelwood North Solar Farm will strengthen Victoria’s renewable energy industry and provide cheaper, cleaner power to thousands of homes,” Kilkenny said.

The AUD 651 million project is expected provide a significant economic boost for regional communities with its construction phase to create around 500 jobs.

The design of the project will also allow for agricultural activity to continue on the site, which is currently used for a combination of grazing and dryland cropping.

“The panels will not present a risk to the livestock and farming operations will not affect the efficiency of the solar facilities,” the developer said. “Allowing agricultural activities to continue on the site represents best practice within the renewable energy industry and maximizes the utility of the site.”

From pv magazine Australia.