Business

Planning Approval Granted For 600 MW Project in NSW

Anu Bhambhani
  • Lightsource bp has secured planning approval for 400 MW DC solar project in Australia's NSW
  • The project is located adjacent to the companies already under construction 200 MW DC facility
  • Altogether the 600 MW DC project will become what Lightsource bp says will become the largest renewable energy power hub for the state
  • In Italy, it has grown its overall solar project pipeline to exceed 1.5 GW after it acquired 156 MW from Horizon Firm recently

British renewable energy company Lightsource bp has been granted planning approval for its 400 MW DC/350 MW AC Wellington North Solar Project in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Combined with its adjacently located 200 MW DC Wellington Solar Farm, the entire project will together form 600 MW DC – what the company terms as the state's largest renewable energy power hub.

Altogether, the 600 MW DC Wellington Solar Hub is expected to produce 1,173,000 MWh of renewable electricity per year on completion with the help of bifacial solar panels. For the 200 MW DC Wellington Solar Farm, it is deploying Canadian Solar's bifacial solar panels and single axis trackers from Array Technologies (see Lightsource BP Secures Financing For Australia Project).

The 200 MW DC project is contracted to sell a majority of its 435,000 MWh of clean energy generation annually, to Snowy hydro for 15 years.

For its 400 MW DC Wellington North Solar Farm to be sited on some 970 hectares of agricultural land, Lightsource bp said it will deploy 1.2 million bifacial solar panels and will alone generate 700,000 MWh annually.

The company claims it has developed a significant pipeline of large scale solar projects across the country like West Wyalong and Woolooga solar farms, in addition to the Wellington farms, exceed over 900 MW DC. Once these are operational, it claims Lightsource bp will become one of the largest solar developers to own and operate in the country.

Italian expansion

Recently, Lightsource bp also expanded its current utility scale solar portfolio in Italy after acquiring 3 projects from Horizon Firm with a combined capacity of 156 MW. While 2 of the projects—40.9 MW Canicatti and 58.2 MW Torre di Mastro— are located in Agrigento province, the 3rd project 57.4 MW Manfredonia is in Apulia province. It wants to develop the Manfredonia project as an agrivoltaic facility with plans to enhance pollinator habitats, bee farming and olive tree plantations.

All 3 projects will reach ready-to-build status in 2022.

Over the next few months, Lightsource bp will acquire an additional 130 MW solar projects from Horizon Firm under an exclusivity agreement. It might be looking at adding energy storage capacity for these facilities.

Currently, Lightsource bp said its Italian solar development pipeline has grown to over 1.5 GW.