Drone footage shows staggering reach of $130m Woolooga solar farm project
New drone footage has revealed the expansive reach of the $130m Woolooga solar farm project, and it’s still not completed. Watch the video.
Gympie
Don't miss out on the headlines from Gympie. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Footage and images snapped by a drone enthusiast have revealed the jaw-dropping expanse of Lightsource BP’s $130m Woolooga solar farm project at Lower Wonga.
Located opposite the Woolooga substation off the Wide Bay Highway, the project experienced delays due to severe flooding in the region earlier this year, but this proved to only be a temporary dampener on the renewable energy hub’s progress.
Once the project is completed, it will house more than 400,000 solar panels spread across 650ha of land.
It will be capable of powering more than 63,000 Queensland homes and save more than 350,000 metric tonnes of carbon emissions.
The solar farm, which is Lightsource BP’s first in Queensland, was given approval in 2019 and the company spent the next two years buying up the land before work began in 2021.
According to CoreLogic’s RP Data, Lightsource BP spent more than $10m on the five properties it acquired, including $1.84 million for a 110ha cattle farm owned by Gympie councillor Hilary Smerdon since 2007.
The project is being powered in part by $330m in funding Lightsource BP received from investors including Westpac in Australia, and international companies EDC, ING, and Intesa Sanpaolo.
It’s a disaster: Damning report exposes how system let Qld down
Jaw-dropping tales of failures in disaster communications – including one in which a stranded group had to phone relatives in Scotland for help – have been laid bare.
What’s behind Rattler’s $2.1 million staff wage bill?
The cost of staffing the Mary Valley Rattler has gone from $1.25 million to more than $2 million.