ACEN Australia proposes to develop the Birriwa Solar Farm and Battery Project. The project consists of a 600-megawatt (MW) solar farm and a centralised or a direct current (DC)-coupled battery energy storage system (BESS) with a capacity of 600 MW / 1,200 MW-hours.
The project will be located in Birriwa, approximately 19 kilometres south-east of Dunedoo, in the Mid-Western Regional Council local government area, within the Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone (REZ).
The project will connect to the National Electricity Market via the proposed Central-West Orana REZ Merotherie Energy Hub being developed by EnergyCo.
Key Dates
| Oct 2021 | Project Announcement |
Procurement
| Procuring Agency: | ACEN Renewables Australia |
PROJECT HISTORY
| Oct 2021 | UPC\AC Renewables Australia submitted the scoping report to the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE) and requested the Secretary's Environmental Assessment Requirements (SEARs) for the project. |
| Nov 2021 | SEARs were issued for the project. |
| Sep 2022 | An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was released for the project. |
| Oct 2022 | The project's state significant development application was placed on exhibition until the 11th of November alongside the EIS and accompanying documents. |
| Feb 2023 | ACRI and UPC Renewables Asia Pacific Holdings (UPCAPH) signed an Instrument of Transfer for the transfer to ACRI of UPCAPH’s remaining 4,766 ordinary shares in UPC-AC Energy Australia (HK) Limited, which completes the second and final tranche of ACRI’s acquisition of ACEN Australia. The acquisition transforms the UPC\AC Renewables Australia joint venture into ACEN Australia. |
| Oct 2023 | The NSW Government placed the project's Environmental Impact Statement on exhibition, closing 10 November. |
| May 2024 | The NSW Government through the NSW Independent Planning Commission hosted public consultation on the project after more than 50 submissions were received objecting to the proposal. |
| Aug 2024 | The NSW Government announced it had granted planning approval for the project. |
| Sep 2024 | The Federal Government announced it had granted planning approval for the project. |
Estimated Total Cost
(2024)
Sector
Energy
Procurement approach
Unconfirmed |
Location
New South Wales |
Resources
