A solar farm capable of providing renewable electricity to 10,650 households has been approved to be developed near Molong.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The $29-million project by Terrain Solar will be built on a 100-hectare lot off Belgravia Road, three kilometres north-east of Molong.
It will have the capacity to provide 62,000 megawatt hours of electricity a year and will be located adjacent to the Transgrid substation, giving it easy access to the electricity grid.
Due to the project’s size and value, the development application had to be considered by the Western Regional Joint Planning Panel, who approved the renewable energy project.
Cabonne councillor and panel member Anthony Durkin said along with providing renewable energy, the solar farm will also be of economic benefit to Molong.
“There was no negative feedback towards it and we think Belgravia Road is a great locations for it because the infrastructure is there,” Mr Durkin said.
“There will be long-term staff based at the site, which means more employment in the Molong area.”
Mr Durkin said the construction phase is expected to take 12 months during which time 100 employees will be needed and once it is up and running it will employ between five and 10 workers.
Terrain Solar director Chris Wilson said significantly more households than are within the Cabonne local government area could be supplied with renewable energy from the solar farm.
As a result, electricity would be fed into the electricity grid to Molong, Orange and potentially also Wellington and Dubbo.
He said the site was strategically located in an area of high solar irradiance and temperate conditions making it an ideal climate for solar generation.
“We still have a lot of work to do, but this puts us on track to start construction by the end of the year,” Mr Wilson said.
“Combined with the solar farm being constructed at Manildra, we believe the Molong Solar Farm will help transform the region into a renewable energy hub creating jobs for skilled labour and ongoing economic opportunities for the local area.
“We have been fortunate to partner with a very progressive local community and this project represents our core business mandate, which is to work with landowners to bring renewable energy investment into regional areas.”