HISTORY OF THE PROJECT

• The proposed project has evolved from the 50MW Capital Solar Farm which was approved by NSW Planning in 2013 and sits on land to the east of the proposed Blind Creek Solar Farm project).

• Capital Solar Farm was originally developed by Infigen Energy (now Iberdrola Australia) but its land agreements were allowed to lapse and the project can no longer be progressed.

• This created an opportunity for the landowners to pursue their own, larger project, with community and agriculture at its heart.

• The proposed Blind Creek Solar Farm project is situated in a more suitable location to the west, which allows a larger buffer from neighbouring properties.

• The new proposed project will also allow for continued use of the land for agriculture as well as solar panels and a battery.

CURRENT STATUS OF THE PROJECT

• The project is in its development phase.

• Its application for Development Approval was on public exhibition between 7 June to 7 July 2022.

• The DA application can be viewed on the DPE Major Projects portal here.

LOCATION

• The proposed project is to the north of the Bungendore Sands sand & gravel quarry and to the south of the operational Capital Wind Farm (owned by Iberdrola Australia).

• The land here is flat, sandy and naturally clear of trees.

• The majority of the land has been historically used for grazing sheep and cattle, with some cropping.

THE PROJECT ITSELF

• The proposed project comprises a 350MWac solar farm and a nominally 300MW/600MWh battery.

• It will connect, via a new substation, into an existing 300kV transmission line which runs across the site.

• Site access is via Tarago Road, at the interstation of a private road, known as Blind Creek Road.

• The area of land surveyed for the environmental, heritage and social impact assessments is 1,225ha, however the footprint of impact that the project would have would be no more than 700ha.

• The construction phase of the project is expected to take approximately 18 months.

• The project would have an operational life of nominally 35 years, at the end of which, it could either be re-powered or it could be decommissioned and the land returned to its original condition.

SHARING THE BENEFITS

• Blind Creek Solar Farm will contribute $330 per MW per year to a Community Benefit Sharing Scheme.

• For a 350MW solar farm, the council and the community will benefit from a share of between $2m and $3.5m over the lifetime of the project, depending on whether the funds are spent up front or over the project life. This will scale up or down depending on the size of the project.

• Recipients are encouraged to spend this on local projects which are aligned with the vision of sustainable agriculture, environmental restoration and community building.

REFLECTION

• Photovoltaic panels are designed to maximise efficiency, absorb sunlight and convert it to electricity. This means they’re designed to reflect as little light as possible, usually around two percent of the light received. In fact, the glare from panels is significantly less than that from water bodies (source: NSW Govt Solar Energy).

ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS

• When built, an up to 350MW solar farm would produce around 735,000 MWh per year – enough energy to power approximately 124,000 houses – and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by around 700,000 tonnes - equivalent to the pollution produced by almost 220,000 cars.

FARMING ACTIVITY

• The proposed solar farm will co-exist with lamb production on the land it occupies.

• The land is expected to have increased grazing capability as a result of protection from winds, partial shading, condensation and organic soil improvements.

APPROVAL PROCESS

• The developers have spent the last two years working with specialist consultants to undertake detailed flora, fauna and heritage surveys to assess the land and the potential impacts the project may have on it. These studies form the basis of the project’s Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

• This project qualifies as a ‘State Significant Development’ and, as such, its Development Approval (DA) application is determined by the NSW Department for Planning & Environment (DPE).

• The DA application was deemed ‘complete’ on 10 May and is now going through the determination process.

• The NSW DPE has an established solar farm approval process for State Significant Developments (SSD) to provide guidance to the community, applicants, industry and regulators on how the Department assesses the environmental impacts of solar energy SSD projects.

• The DA application can be viewed here.