Flow Power has called time on the Springdale solar project it planned to build north-west of Sutton, just outside of the Australian Capital Territory, after the state planning permit lapsed in February.
The lack of a battery in the original plans might be why.
The 100 megawatt (MW) solar project, on the outskirts of Canberra in the Yass Valley region was green lit in 2021 by the Independent Planning Commission, despite a flood of objections during the planning process.
Then-owner Res Australia, which bought the project from Renew Estate in spite of its unpopularity with locals a year earlier, promised construction would start in 2022.
But by February this year the $120 million project, now in the hands of Flow Power, was dead in the water after the various developers missed the February 19 planning permit deadline to start work.
A Yass Valley planner told the council at its March meeting that the project was off, after questions were sent in asking about the $1.3 billion community benefits scheme, traffic plans, and road inspections.
Flow Power did some technical studies in 2025 to assess whether the project was viable and on the back of those, decided against going ahead, a spokesperson told Renew Economy.
The spokesperson didn’t respond to questions about why the company had nixed the project, but pointed out that solar hybrids are where the industry has moved since the original planning permission in 2021.
“Flow Power highlights the importance of Battery Energy Storage system (BESS) technology in new projects going forward, allowing solar farms to provide firmed renewable energy during times when it’s needed most by the grid and energy users,” she said.
“Flow Power remains strongly committed to the energy transition and continues to progress a pipeline of renewable and firming projects.”
Objections match support
Springdale Solar was a contentious one from the start, with 116 objections countering the 118 submissions in support.
The objections ranged from being a “negative visual site” for tourists, to the potential for solar farms to be a danger to birds, but there was a distinct lack of irrelevant submissions focusing on outlandish health and environmental claims that haunt NSW planning processes in 2026.
Among the list of objections included one from a local learner driver, who said she was concerned about the number of trucks on the road while she was having lessons.
The final plan responded to some of the objections, increasing the setback from nearby properties, re-locating the substation to reduce visual impacts, reducing the overall size of the development footprint and increasing the vegetation screening to further reduce visual impacts.
Res Australia also committed to enhancing the habitat for the protected Golden Sun Moth, avoiding the habitats of the Striped Legless Lizard and Superb Parrot, and to protecting and seeking to enhance the native vegetation and biodiversity of the area.
The plan was for 350,000 single-axis tracking solar panels and 22 inverter stations, with the panels high enough to allow sheep grazing to co-exist under and around them. Standalone solar projects are now rare, given the surplus of solar in the middle of the day and the regular negative wholesale prices.
* This article has been updated with comments from Flow Power.
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Rachel Williamson
Rachel Williamson is a science and business journalist, who focuses on climate change-related health and environmental issues.
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