Wellington North Solar Farm to create 400 construction jobs

The NSW central west could soon be home to the state’s largest solar power hub after a giant 837 hectare development backed by BP was given planning approval.

Up to 400 construction jobs are expected to be created in the NSW Central West after the state government approved development of an 837 hectare, $540 million solar farm backed by global energy giant BP.

Set to be located seven kilometres north east of Wellington, the Lightsource BP join venture will be built adjacent to the organisation’s other 200 megawatt Wellington solar farm and will be twice the size of it.

Wellington could soon be home to the largest solar power hub in NSW. Picture: Lightsource bp

Lightsource BP believes once operational, the two solar farms combined would form a 600MW hub, which could be the largest solar power hub in NSW.

Adam Pegg, the Lightsource BP country manager, said the approval of the new Wellington North Solar Farm meant when both farms were fully operational about 170,000 homes could be powered.

Adam Pegg, country manager at Lightsource BP Australia. Picture: LinkedIn

“It’s a very supportive community that we’re building there in Wellington,” he said.

“It’s good country for solar, it ticks all the boxes.”

Mr Pegg said Lightsource BP had purchased all the land the newest solar farm would call home and the organisation expected up to 400 jobs to be created during the construction phase.

“The project provides a huge opportunity for local skilled and unskilled labour,” he said.

“It also provides a huge injection into the hotels, the cafes, the pubs and other businesses.”

The Wellington North Solar Farm was originally proposed by AGL in 2017 and the development was purchased by Lightsource BP in July 2020.

Construction of the new farm would begin “in the near term”, Mr Pegg said.

The Central West has been announced as home to the government’s first renewable energy zone, which it has described as the modern day equivalent of traditional power stations.

According to the government, the zones will combine renewable energy sources like wind and solar, with battery storage and upgraded grid infrastructure to deliver cheap, reliable and clean energy.