MALLEE SOLAR FARM
Status:
Proposal
Announced
Generation Capacity:
up to
600MW
Annual Power:
up to
225,000 homes
Benefits:
The project will offset up to a million tonnes of CO2 emissions annually, create approximately 300 construction jobs and establish a substantial community benefits sharing program.
ABOUT
The Mallee Solar Farm is a proposed large scale solar farm, to be located approximately 10 kilometres north-east of Buronga in the Wentworth Shire in NSW.
The project site is within the South-West Renewable Energy Zone (REZ). The solar farm would be adjacent to the Mallee Wind Farm, a separate project being developed by Spark Renewables.
Why this site?
The proposed site has good solar irradiance and the land where infrastructure is proposed is flat and cleared of vegetation. The proposed site has direct access to high voltage transmission lines and would allow a solar farm to connect to the grid without requiring additional transmission lines to be built. It is within the South-West REZ connecting to the National Electricity Market via 220 or 330kV transmission infrastructure.
What is proposed?
Solar farm – up to 600 megawatts (MW) with modules mounted on single-axis tracking systems.
Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) – to store and discharge electricity as required with a storage capacity of up to approximately 200MW (AC or DC coupled) / 2 hr (400MWh).
Agrivoltaics pilot project – a development that incorporates horticulture production underneath or between solar panels.
We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which this Project is located, including the Barkandji, Mutthi Mutthi, and Ngiyampaa peoples. We are committed to meaningful engagement with First Nations peoples and businesses throughout site investigations, procurement and the community benefit sharing program.
LOCATION
The project is located in the Mallee region of New South Wales, north of the Murray River.
Currently used for broadacre cropping and livestock grazing, the project investigation area and surrounding is characterised by the large expanses of cleared land and transmission lines. The project investigation area is bisected by the existing 220kV Buronga/Balranald and Buronga /Red Cliffs TransGrid transmission lines, which connect into the Buronga Substation located 1.5km to the north-west.
Adjacent to these existing easements, Project EnergyConnect will also establish an additional 330kV Buronga/Balranald transmission line and parallel to the existing line, as well as an upgrade to the 220kV Buronga/Red Cliffs transmission line.
MAP
AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRY COLLABORATION
In partnership with Boundary Bend Olives
The site presents a unique opportunity to collaborate with the agricultural industry to showcase the potential for utility-scale solar to be co-located with agricultural production. The project is being developed on land owned by Australia’s largest extra virgin olive oil producer, Boundary Bend Olives.
As part of this unique partnership Spark Renewables will promote and research combined agricultural and energy production from the land. The project will allow for sheep grazing amongst the solar arrays as well as investigating the feasibility of an agrivoltaics horticulture project within the solar farm area.
PLANNING AND CONSULTATION
Project Status
The proposed Mallee Solar Farm is considered State Significant Development under NSW planning legislation.
The first step in the planning process is initiating community consultation and preparing a request for the Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements.
The NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI) will assess the development application documents and the consent authority will be the Minister for Planning or the Independent Planning Commission.
A Scoping Report, which is a formal request to the DPHI to issue its requirements known as Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements (SEARs), is currently being prepared for the project and is due to be submitted to the NSW DPHI in 2024.
The SEARs will need to be addressed in a comprehensive Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
Formal NSW Planning Process
Proposal announced
Scoping report
SEAR's issued
EIS preparation
EIS submission and exhibition
Response to submissions
Assessing the proposal
Determination
COMMUNITY
CONSULTATION
The Mallee Solar Farm project is in the early stages of development and will undergo a rigorous planning and assessment process prior to being approved. As part of this, we will undertake extensive community consultation and encourage all stakeholders and community members to get involved in this process. This will occur prior to a formal development application being submitted to planning authorities. Need more information? Ask us about a one on one meeting or call.
Drop-in sessions
You are welcome to attend drop-in sessions where you can meet the Spark Renewables team, ask questions and learn about the proposed Mallee Solar Farm.
Community benefit sharing
The project would support local initiatives through a community benefits fund.
The community benefit program will include initiatives and engagement that support First Nations involvement.
Local input sought to inform and shape the community benefits sharing program.
There is an opportunity to coordinate benefits sharing between the Mallee Solar and Wind Farm projects.
OUR APPROACH
TIMELINE
2023
Step 1 - Complete
Initial identification completed; consultation ongoing.
Q1 2024
Step 2
Launch community consultation and preliminary studies
2024-2025
Step 3
Development application and Environmental Impact Statement
2025
Step 4
Development consent
2026
Step 5
Construction commences
MALLEE ENERGY HUB
The Mallee Solar Farm represents a step-up in Spark Renewables' plans to invest in the region and would form a part of the Mallee Energy Hub. The project would expand Spark Renewables portfolio and complement the Mallee Wind Farm, which has been under development since 2022.
The Mallee Energy Hub is on the doorstep of Mildura, which is an important regional city and centre of industry for the NSW Murray and Victorian Loddon Mallee regions. These regions are home to highly productive agriculture, food processing and manufacturing. The region also hosts the NSW South-West Renewable Energy Zone which offers some of the best wind and solar energy resources in the country and direct access to high voltage transmission lines.
This unique positioning creates an opportunity to complement agricultural production with the local generation of low-cost renewable energy. Spark Renewables ambition for the Mallee Renewable Energy Hub is to create a catalyst for regional economic growth and a focal point for collaboration across industries.
AGRIVOLTAICS
The Mallee Energy Hub will promote the co-location of renewable energy generation and agricultural production. The cornerstone projects of the hub will include:
- Agrivoltaics pilot project - a feasibility study and pilot project to investigate the potential to co-locate solar arrays with horticulture in partnership with Australia's largest producer of extra virgin olive oil, Boundary Bend Olives.
- The Mallee Solar Farm – up to 600MW solar farm and BESS that will incorporate sheep grazing within the solar arrays.
- The Mallee Wind Farm – wind farm with up to 76 wind turbine generators and a BESS on land that will continue to be used for broadacre cropping.
MALLEE WIND FARM
The project is adjacent to Mallee Wind Farm which is a separate proposal by Spark Renewables for a large scale wind energy project. An Environmental Impact Statement for the Mallee Wind Farm is currently under preparation. Detailed investigations and consultations for the Mallee Wind Farm have been underway since 2022 and will support the efficient development of the Mallee Solar Farm.
NEWS
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Mallee Solar Farm Project Announcement
The Mallee Solar Farm is a proposed large-scale solar farm, located approximately 10 kilometres to the north-east of Buronga in the NSW Wentworth Shire and the South-West Renewable Energy Zone (REZ), and is now in the early stages of development.
PROJECT DOCUMENTS
Documents and materials will be listed here when they become available.