AC Energy names contractor for Australia project
By Lenie Lectura – October 1, 2020
from Business Mirror
UPC\AC Australia, a joint venture between UPC Renewables and AC Energy, has tapped Elecnor Australia as the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor for the first stage of the 720megawatt (MW) solar and battery project in Australia.
Elecnor Australia will deliver the first 400MW stage of the New England Solar Farm and battery project, including the substation works. It will be developed across two sections of land near Uralla in the New England region of New South Wales (NSW).
The EPC contractor will be responsible for the detailed design, engineering and procurement of the project, as well as ongoing operation and maintenance services in the first two years of operations.
The largest solar and battery project in Australia will deploy single axis tracking technology that will allow solar panels to follow the path of the sun, while also allowing adequate space for sheep to continue grazing on the land in between and underneath the panels.
The first stage works are expected to be completed over the next 2 years. Once fully constructed, the project is expected to produce 1.8 million megawatt hours (MWh) of clean, renewable electricity each year, enough to power more than 250,000 typical NSW homes.
“Building the New England Solar Farm is a remarkable achievement, one which puts UPC\AC Renewables and Australia at the forefront of renewable energy development in the Asia-Pacific region. As we adopt new technologies in the construction of Australia’s biggest solar farm, we also aim to play a prominent role in spurring sustainable and inclusive economic growth in NSW.
We intend to harness Australia’s growth potential for renewable energy while contributing to their renewable energy goals,” said AC Energy International Chief Operating Officer Patrice Clausse said.
The first stage of the associated 400MWh battery project, a 50MW/1hour Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) capable of dispatching energy to the grid at times of high energy demand, will be constructed with the support of the NSW government’s Emerging Energy Program. “Not only are we providing clean energy to the grid, with the support of the NSW government we are [also] providing dispatchable energy, in the form of a 50MWh battery. It will provide much needed jobs and an injection of capital into the New England region,” said UPC\AC Renewables CEO Anton Rohner.
An ongoing upgrade to the local roads connecting to the solar farm is already in progress, as well as completion of environmental management plans. On-site construction of the first stage of the solar farm will start in 2021.
The New England Solar Farm received development consent from the NSW Independent Planning Commission in March. The grid connection agreement with TransGrid, the owner and operator of the NSW electricity transmission network, was signed in June, which will allow the project to connect to the existing 330kV line that crosses the solar farm site.
