Solar farm approved for Haughton area

Burdekin Shire Council has approved a solar farm development on rural land, expected to create hundreds of jobs.

The Haughton solar farm proposal spans across three stages alongside the Haughton River.

Burdekin Shire Council has approved the staged construction of a 400 megawatt solar farm which requires a material change of use of more than 1200 hectares of rural land.

Cambridge JMD Australia’s successful application is touted as a $650m investment across three stages in the Upper Haughton, 80km south of Townsville.

The company’s executive chairman Michael Dwyer said the site, which is alongside the Haughton River at Keith Venables Rd and Black Rd, was chosen because of its accessibility to existing electricity transmission networks and because of optimal solar capacity.

“On a national scale and upon full development, the Cambridge Solar project is anticipated to generate approximately 400 jobs,” Mr Dwyer said.

“It will not only support Australia’s carbon emissions target but this solar project will also bring crucial investment, job opportunities and economic advantages to the North Queensland communities.”

Cambridge JMD Australia executive chairman Michael Dwyer said the company's Haughton based solar farm would create 400 jobs.

Construction was expected to begin in 2025.

As part of the conditions the company will be required to pay the council a total $636,700 across the project’s three stages to develop the necessary road infrastructure.

The first and second stage of the construction at Keith Venables Rd and Black Rd in Upper Haughton will be of a 522.3 hectares of solar panels and a substation over 20 hectares, while the later third stage will require 566.7 hectares.

The Burdekin Shire Council's mapping of where the solar farm infrastructure would be alongside the Haughton River, with the darker area showing where the panels would be. The light blue zones show where the substations will be constructed. Picture: Burdekin Shire Council.

Council officers recommended the application be approved, satisfied there was “sufficient grounds” to do so, despite some conflicts with assessment benchmarks.

There would be minimal loss to the local government area’s viable agricultural land supply, of 0.3 per cent, available for intensive horticulture as a result of the development close to the Haughton River.

The site was “largely vacant” and would not require clearing of vegetation, and was close to another solar farm owned by Pacific Blue.

Council officers said the proposal aligned with the council’s determination to see diversification of industry without discouraging the cane farming industry.

The land has no water allocation and did not have suitable soil for intensive horticulture such as sugar cane production or for other agricultural use, but that it was possible to return it to such use at the end of the project’s estimated life in 50 years.

Originally published as Solar farm approved for Haughton area