Details emerge on new renewables project for North Queensland

Details have been revealed about a planned job generating power project in North Queensland.

More solar power could be coming to the region.

MORE  jobs are expected to be generated by another planned solar project for the region.

Details have been revealed about the proposed Pacific Hydro Haughton Solar Farm, about 40km from Ayr.

In their application to the State Government for an electricity generation authority, the proposal says the project involves almost 396,200 solar PC modules, generating a planned 132MW.

Pacific Hydro wants to connect the solar farm to Powerlink’s transmission grid at Ross to Strathmore’s 275kV transmission line.

The Chinese company plans to engage a company owned by RCR Tomlinson to carry out work on the project.

RCR Tomlinson has announced it has received a notice to proceed an engineering, procurement and construction contract and an operation and maintenance contract.

In its ASX release, RCR said all EPC activities on stage one of the solar farm were expected to be finished in the first quarter of next year.

It comes as more electricity is fed into the grid in North Queensland, with the Collinsville solar project nearing completion.

The first batch of solar panels were switched on this week at the Collinsville facility, as part of a staged testing and commissioning process.

Full commercial operation is expected to be finished next month.

Ratch EGM business development officer Anthony Yeates said the testing announced the “electrification” of the Collinsville project.

“First generation is a meaningful milestone as we’re now generating and exporting electricity to the grid,” he said.

“We’ll be ramping up the amount of generation as the project reaches completion point next month.”

There are 164,000 solar panels and more than 550km of cabling at the project, which is next to the decommissioned Collinsville coal-fired power station.

In the midst of the debate about the National Energy Guarantee, Mr Yeates said the Collinsville project showed how old coal-fired generation sites could be repurposed as new renewable energy bases.

Hillery Group general manager Luke Hillery said his company had been kept busy with earthworks and civil construction of the road network, as well as the supply of quarry products and sand.

“During peak times we had up to 15 heavy machines on site with operators,” he said.

“Things had been a little slow up until the start of the project so it’s been a good shot in the arm for the company and the local area.”

Originally published as Details emerge on new renewables project for North Queensland