The 300 megawatt (MW) Walla Walla Solar Farm will be located approximately five kilometres northeast of Walla Walla and 40 kilometres north of Albury in the Riverina region of NSW. The 605-hectare site is close to the Olympic Highway and will have direct access to TransGrid's 330 kilovolt (kV) transmission line.
The project is expected to comprise approximately 700,000 solar panels with singe axis tracking. The site is expected to have an annual output of 720,000 megawatt hours.
Key Dates
| 2018 | Project Announcement |
| Nov 2020 | Planning Approval Granted |
| Dec 2022 | Contract Award |
| Jan 2023 | Construction Commencement |
Financing
| Equity Finance: | FRV Services Australia |
Procurement
| Procuring Agency: | FRV Services Australia |
| Successful Tenderer: | GRS |
PROJECT HISTORY
| 2018 | Bison Energy initiated the development process for Walla Walla Solar Farm. |
| Jul 2019 | Bison Energy sold the project's development rights to FRV. FRV assumed full ownership and development rights to the solar farm project. |
| Sep 2019 | FRV held a community information session about the project at Walla Walla Bowling Club. |
| Sep 2020 | The NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment conducted a comprehensive assessment of the project and concluded by approving the site for a solar farm and deeming the project consistent with NSW’s Climate Change Policy Framework and Net Zero Plan Stage 1: 2020-2030, as it would contribute 300 MW of renewable energy to the National Electricity Market. |
| Oct 2020 | The project was referred to the NSW Independent Planning Commission (IPC) for final assessment due to opposition from the Greater Hume Shire Council and the local community. |
| Nov 2020 | Walla Walla Solar Farm received planning approval from NSW IPC. |
| Dec 2022 | FRV reached financial close on the project. |
| Dec 2022 | FRV awarded the contract to construct the project to GRS |
Estimated Total Cost
(2018)
Sector
Energy
Procurement approach
Traditional Procurement |
Location
New South Wales |
Resources
