Plans for a $1.6 billion solar farm and battery project near Merriwa have been unveiled by renewable energy company Maoneng.
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The proposed energy hub consists of a 550 megawatt solar farm and 400 megawatt / 1,600 megawatt hour Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). The company said the near gigawatt capacity project is designed to address the regional energy supply and grid stability needs of the National Electricity Market (NEM), with a development application set to be lodged with the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment.
The company said if the project is approved, construction of the solar farm and battery is expected to take 18 months, "creating up to 500 full-time equivalent jobs during the peak of activity, and requiring up to 20 permanent operational staff for the 35-year life of the project".
Maoneng co-founder and CEO Morris Zhou described the project as a significant step forward for dispatchable solar generation in NSW.
"This project will support the NSW Government's large-scale solar generation and battery storage strategies as the state moves towards increasing use of clean energy," Mr Zhou said.
Mr Zhou said the site for the proposed project had been chosen because of its connection to the existing grid, allowing the company to make "efficient use" of the existing infrastructure.
"The Merriwa Energy Hub would be one of the largest renewable energy hubs in the country and, while it's still early days, we expect the construction process to support hundreds of direct and indirect jobs, as well as significant investment into communities experiencing a shift away from fossil fuel," Mr Zhou said.
The company said it has already begun consultations with members of the community close to the proposed site, which is currently used primarily for grazing. Maoneng said the impact to the local community is expected to be largely contained to construction activities and traffic management on local roads.
With a proposed solar array area of 780 hectares, Maoneng said its current estimates indicate the new solar farm would comprise around 1.3 million photovoltaic solar panels, with the project planned to be completed by 2025.
