A solar farm and battery storage project proposed on farming land just outside the NSW city of Bathurst has won planning approval after the developers agreed to extend the set-backs from its boundaries, and preserve the site for current and future farming activities, including sheep grazing.
UK developer Elgin Energy is proposing the $152 million Glanmire solar farm, which will comprise a 60 MW solar facility and an accompanying big battery sized at 60 MW with two hours (120 MWh) of storage.
The project is located on rural land around 10kms east of the centre of Bathurst, alongside the Great Western Highway and within the new Central West Orana renewable energy zone.
The project was brought before the NSW Independent Planning Commission after receiving 131 letters of objection from across the region, and just six letters of support. The IPC announced on Tuesday that it had granted approval, subject to a number of “strict” conditions, including the increased set backs and commitment to preserving the agricultural use.
The objections cited a number of concerns, including the prevalence of foggy weather, the impact on agricultural land, insurance premiums and foreign ownership, and the risk of fire.
And there were also concerns expressed about potential “heat islands”, stress, noise, the impact on tourists because it would be “visually unpleasant”, and the impact on the view from the Mt Panorama race track 10kms away, and the threat of “glare” on the local airfield.
The state department of Planning and Environment approved the project last November, and the three-member IPC panel reviewed the case because more than 50 objections had been received.
The panel decided that the site is “suitable for renewable energy development, given its topography, solar resources, avoidance of major environmental constraints, access to the regional road network, and its proximity to existing and planned electricity transmission networks.”
The Commission said conditions imposed included a revised layout plan to increase minimum setbacks to 30 metres from the western and eastern boundaries of the site, a robust vegetation buffer and the maintenance of the site’s agricultural land capability to maximise current and future opportunities for dual land use.
“The Applicant must engage appropriately with the local council and community during construction and operation and completely rehabilitate the site at the end of the project,” it added.
Elgin Energy was founded in 2009 in the United Kingdom and opened its Australian office in 2018, and says it is currently developing more than 1,000 MW of solar and battery projects across Victoria and NSW.
It says it has already delivered 250 MW of solar PV projects across sites in UK, Ireland and US.
The approval from the IPC continues a rush of project approvals in recent months, including the Glenellen and Oxley solar farms.
