Fotowatio wins for planning approval for its 150MW Lilyvale solar in Australia

Spain's Fotowatio Renewables Ventures has won planning approval for its 150MW Lilyvale solar farm, the first large-scale solar development proposed for Queensland’s Central Highlands region.

The A$400 million (US$283 million) project, which will be located over 400 hectares near the Queensland town of Tieri, secured planning approval from the Central Highlands Regional Council last Friday.

Tieri – more than 900km north-west of Brisbane – currently only has four small-scale solar PV installations, totaling 14.92 kW of capacity.

The new solar farm will use polycrystalline solar panels and a single-axis tracking system to maximise generation, and will be connected to the local grid via the nearby Lilyvale substation, using a new electricity transmission line.

FRV estimates that the construction phase is expected to last around 18 months and to commence sometime in 2016 to 2017.