NSW nods to 125-MW solar project by Photon, Canadian Solar, Polpo

The New South Wales government has given the green light to a 125-MW solar project that will be located within the Aussie state's Central-West Renewable Energy Zone.

The approval was granted by the state Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE) on Monday after regulators decided that the power plant would have “minimal impact” on the local environment and agricultural land. The scheme is seen to “add to the growing hub of solar energy projects in the Dubbo area, bringing a fresh boost to the economy, diversifying industry for the region, as well as increasing electricity capacity,” said Mike Young, executive director of energy and resource assessments.

The AUD-188-million (USD 128.3m/EUR 115.8m) project, labelled as a state significant development, calls for the construction of a photovoltaic (PV) park around 15 km (9.3 miles) north-west of Wellington that will be able to supply around 46,500 homes and save up to 260,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions annually.

The Maryvale scheme is part of a group of five projects in New South Wales of 1,140 MWp in total, being co-developed by Netherlands-based Photon Energy NV and Canadian Solar Inc (NASDAQ:CSIQ). The latter agreed to buy a 51% stake in the portfolio in 2018. Photon shares the equity in four of the projects with Polpo Investments.

(AUD 1.0 = USD 0.683/EUR 0.616)

Choose your newsletter by Renewables Now. Join for free!