One of Australia’s biggest solar farms, the Culcairn project developed by Neoen Australia in the South East Riverina Region of New South Wales, has officially begun operations.
Culcairn, rated at 350 megawatts (MW), or 440 MWp, is Neoen’s second-largest solar asset, behind the 400 MW Western Downs solar farm in Queensland.
It began construction in late 2023, and employed up to 600 people, but also featured some innovative robotic solar mounting machines.
“Culcairn is our second largest solar asset globally and will produce enough energy to power 160,000 homes in a year. We are proud of the contributions it will now make to help New South Wales in its target of reducing carbon emissions by 50 per cent by 2030,” the company said on LinkedIn.
Built on 1,000 hectares of land approximately 45km north of Albury and 70km south of Wagga Wagga, the solar farm consists of nearly 760,000 solar panels. During peak construction the project employed 600 workers.
The completion of Culcairn means it can start delivering on its power purchase agreement – a four-year deal to supply 50 per cent of the project’s output to Smartest Energy, to retail to commercial and industrial customers.
It is also underpinned by an underwriting deal (long term energy services agreement) with the NSW government in 2023, along with the Uungula wind farm, currently the only wind project under construction in NSW.
In its LinkedIn post on Wednesday, Neoen Australia also thanked the project’s host landholders and First Nations custodians of the country.
“Located on Wiradjuri Country … Culcairn Solar Farm is a reality today because of the resilience and commitment shown by our host landowners,” the post says. “They have stood with us at every step of the journey over the last seven years to create a greener future for our kids.”
In addition to the solar farm, Neoen is also building a big battery at the site – which has grown in size from an initially proposed 100 MW/200 MWh, to 350 MW and 800 MWh, and then a further upgrade to 904 MWh thanks to improved density of battery units.
Neoen is currently undertaking a procurement process to select a battery supplier, who will also act as an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor, and is currently aiming to begin construction in the middle of the year.
The company expects construction of the big battery to take around two years and employ around 160 workers during peak construction.
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Joshua S Hill
Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.
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