The Goulburn River Solar Farm is a 450MW solar photovoltaic (PV) project with a 280MWp/570MWh capacity battery energy storage system (BESS) under development in New South Wales (NSW), Australia.
Lightsource bp is spearheading the project with an estimated investment of A$880m ($591m).
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Lightsource bp submitted a scoping report for the project in December 2021, followed by the environmental impact statement (EIS) in May 2023. The NSW government granted planning approval for the project in August 2024. Construction is expected to commence in December 2024 and is planned to be completed by December 2026.
The renewable energy project aims to supply electricity to 191,000 homes annually and will reduce greenhouse gas emissions in NSW by 733,000 tonnes per annum (tpa), contributing to the state’s net zero emission goals.
Additionally, the project will create up to 350 jobs during the construction phase, with 35% of these sourced locally. During the operational phase, up to ten jobs will be generated.
Location of Goulburn River solar farm
The Goulburn River Solar Farm project is situated between Wollar and Merriwa, on Wollar Road, approximately 28km south of Merriwa in the Upper Hunter Region of NSW.
The project is located on an agricultural property surrounded by the Goulburn River National Park, between the Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) and the Hunter-Central Coast REZ, providing direct access to the existing electricity transmission network.
The project area comprises two freehold properties spanning multiple lots, covering an area of approximately 2,000ha (4,942.11 acres), with the development footprint occupying approximately 799.5ha.
Goulburn River Solar Farm Details
The Goulburn River Solar Farm is set to feature around one million bifacial solar panels on ground-mounted, single-axis tracking frames. These panels will be spaced up to 5m apart. On average, the panels will reach a height of 3.1m when fully tilted, although some areas may see heights of up to 4m due to the uneven terrain.
The dimensions of PV solar panels will be 2.4m in height and 1.3m wide, offering a surface area of approximately 3m² (32.29ft²).
The solar arrays will be installed using pile driving techniques on the single-axis tracking, arranged in north-south rows. Throughout the day, the panels will pivot from east to west, following the sun’s movement. The tracking system is designed to have a range of motion of 120° or no more than 60° from the horizontal.
The power conversion infrastructure will include around 67 inverters. Additionally, there will be an AC battery storage facility rated at 570MWh, capable of discharging over two hours.
A 50m-wide Asset Protection Zone (APZ) will also be established, encircling the security fencing of the battery energy storage system (BESS) facility.
Infrastructure and transmission details of Goulburn River project
The solar farm is set to feature a range of associated infrastructure, including road repairs and enhancements to Ringwood Road, temporary construction facilities, operational and maintenance buildings, internal access roads, civil engineering works, and electrical infrastructure for connecting the project to the existing transmission line that traverses the project area.
Additionally, the installation of a 30m-high telecommunications tower is proposed as an integral component of the project.
The project will include a substation and connection to an existing 500kV transmission line in the southeastern corner of the project area, along with the installation of additional cabling to the existing transmission line.
Lightsource bp collaborated with network operator TransGrid to explore options for the project’s connection to the network.
The on-site substation will cover an area of approximately 4ha (9.88 acres) and will be enclosed by security fencing.
Contractors involved
Umwelt Environmental & Social Consultants, an environmental and social consultancy, was engaged by Lightsource bp to prepare the EIS for the project.
