Neoen to build $1 billion wind, solar and battery project at Burra in South Australia’s Mid North
A new wind, solar and battery project has been revealed for South Australia’s Mid North, bringing 300 construction jobs for each of its three stages.
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A billion-dollar renewable energy project at Burra has been announced, providing a much-needed lift to the drought-hit region
The project, Goyder South, is led by French company Neoen, which last month received approval for a similar scheme at Crystal Brook.
The wind, solar and battery project is in addition to $16 billion of renewable energy initiatives already on the drawing board in South Australia.
Goyder South would be built in stages, creating about 300 construction jobs for each stage, and 20 ongoing jobs for the next 25 years.
Neoen is holding an open day in Burra this afternoon to engage local residents.
“As a long-term owner and operator, it is vital to Neoen that the local community is taken on the development journey with us,” Neoen’s managing director for Australia Louis de Sambucy said.
Goyder Council Mayor Peter Mattey said the region was increasingly becoming home to huge energy projects.
As mayor, he remained neutral so he could represent the community.
“We’ve got a lot of wind turbines but we’ve never had community fuss about them because we’ve managed it in a way they’ve been respectful of the community,” he said.
“Not everybody is supportive but the logic is we’ve all got to operate together.
“We’ve got to find ways to operate together for the good of the country.”
The Goyder South project involves 1200MW of wind, 600MW of solar and 900MW of battery storage.
The wind farm would be the largest in Australia and the battery nine times the power rating of the Tesla battery at Jamestown’s Hornsdale Power Reserve — which Neoen also owns.
The first stage — construction of one third of capacity in each of the wind, solar and battery components — would cost up to $1 billion, Neoen said.
The subsequent stages will be dependent on the $1.53 billion Project EnergyConnect transmission line between Robertstown and NSW which has been proposed by ElectraNet.
Energy and Mining Minister Dan van Holst Pellekaan welcomed Neoen’s announcement and noted the importance of the NSW interconnector in the plan.
“Four more large solar farms worth billions of dollars are also planned along the interconnector route,” he said.
“The investment potential of the SA-NSW interconnector is one of the reasons why the Marshall Liberal Government granted the nation-building infrastructure Major Project Status.
“The SA-NSW interconnector will help deliver our aspiration of net-100 per cent renewables in the 2030s, lower power prices and a higher growth future for all South Australians.”
Neoen has an approximate location for its project but has not finalised boundaries yet.
“At this stage, we’re seeking feedback from the community which will be incorporated into the project,” Neoen’s head of development Australia Garth Heron said.
“We’re basically on the Goyder line, so this is very marginal land.
“But it is a world-class wind and solar resource.
“We’ve found there is a very supportive local community. There’s a real opportunity to share in the benefits.”
Once Neoen has assessed community feedback it will lodge a plan with the State Commission Assessment Panel which would make a recommendation to Government.
Neoen is publicly listed on the EuroNext Paris market and operates in France, Portugal, Finland, Australia, Mexico, El Salvador, Argentina, Zambia and Jamaica.
Mr Heron said the company has plenty of funding ability.
“All of our projects are a combination of debt and our own equity,” he said.
Neoen aims to begin construction before the end of next year and start operation by 2022.