The NSW clean energy sector has seen a slew of developments this week, with the start of HumeLink construction coinciding with the approval of two renewables projects.
Extending 365km long, HumeLink is set to serve as a critical backbone to the National Electricity Market (NEM) by reinforcing the southern grid, which is connecting with more and more solar and wind farms.
Transgrid announced this week it had achieved negotiated land access and easement agreements with 98.9 per cent of private landholders for HumeLink, paving the way for construction of the transmission line.
While HumeLink gets underway, the Federal Government announced it had approved the Forbes solar farm and Pottinger wind farm in NSW.
Forbes will include more than 196,000 solar panels for 141MW in capacity, with a supporting BESS (battery energy storage system) with 480MW of capacity. This can power up to 60,000 homes at peak demand for four hours.
“By choosing to build this facility on disturbed agricultural land with little native vegetation, the proponent set themselves up for success,” Federal Minister for the Environment and Water Murray Watt said.
“Their planning has paid off with this rapid approval, which unlocks investment and jobs for the community in and around Forbes.”
The Pottinger wind farm, on the other hand, will be located between Hay and Deniliquin, and generate 1300MW of electricity with its 247 wind turbines and 500MW BESS.
Watt explained the significance of Pottinger.
“Not only will this project deliver clean, cheap, and reliable power to the Riverina and surrounds, but it will also improve infrastructure and increase jobs and investment in the local community,” he said.
“During construction, the project will support up to 900 jobs with a further 50 created to support ongoing operations.
“As part of the project, the proponent will upgrade and improve roads in Hay, Conargo, and Broken Hill to allow for the transport of project components, which will also directly benefit the local communities and businesses who use those roads every day.”
Snowy Hydro also provided an update on its Snowy 2.0 project this week, announcing that a cost reassessment was being carried out by contractor, Future Generation joint venture.
While the project is now 67 per cent complete, Snowy Hydro has run into cost and productivity challenges it said are reflected internationally across many major infrastructure projects.
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