Government approval secured for 600 MW/1,200 MWh of solar-plus-storage in Australia

The Australian federal government has approved a 600 MW/1,200 MWh solar farm and battery energy storage system in the state of New South Wales, Australia.

The Birriwa solar and battery project is being developed by the Australian unit of Philippines-based energy company Acen Corp. in the New South Wales Central-West Orana region. The Birriwa solar farm is planned for a 1,200-ha site about 20 km southeast of Dunedoo within the Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone (REZ). The project will comprise a 600 MW solar farm and a battery energy storage system of up to 600 MW with two hours of storage capacity. 

The estimated AUD 1 billion (US$666.8 million) project will connect to the national electricity grid via the Merotherie Energy Hub. This is part of the new transmission network infrastructure being developed by EnergyCo to accommodate the 6 GW of new generation capacity expected to be added in the Central-West Orana REZ. Acen expects to start construction of the project in late 2026 or early 2027, with energy generation anticipated in 2029.