Spark Renewables’ AUD 1.35 billion ($940 million) Dinawan solar and battery energy storage project planned for southwest New South Wales has been approved under the Australian government’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act, moving the huge project closer to construction.
Sydney-based Spark Renewables, owned by Malaysian electricity giant Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB), said the Dinawan project combines an 800 MW solar installation comprising about 1.5 million solar panels with a battery energy storage system with a capacity of up to 300 MW and provision for up to four hours of storage. It also includes a separate 707 MW wind component.
The facility is to be built across a 2,600-hectare site about 30 km north of Jerilderie, within the New South Wales government’s South West Renewable Energy Zone (REZ). Once operational, it will generate clean energy to power the equivalent of about 142,000 homes annually.
The developer said the hybrid project will deliver large-scale dispatchable renewable power to Australia’s grid, contributing to “improving grid stability and energy security, while reducing reliance on fossil fuel-based generation.”
The Dinawan project has been awarded approximately 1 GW of access rights in the South West REZ. This includes an allocation of 300 MW of solar generation and 1,200 MW of battery energy storage. The company said the initial 300 MW solar capacity is to be built as a stage one, with the remainder to follow when the grid allows.
Spark Renewables is targeting a final investment decision in 2027 with construction expected to start later that year. It is anticipated the project will support approximately 400 jobs during the construction phase.
The EPBC decision comes after the solar and battery hybrid project received the tick of approval from the New South Wales Independent Planning Commission (IPC) in April.
The federal approval outlines specific conditions for the solar and battery project’s construction, operation and eventual decommissioning phases, including annual compliance reporting and rapid reporting of any non-compliance of the environmental plans agreed with federal and state authorities.
In addition to securing EPBC approval, the Dinawan solar and battery development is among the first tranche of projects endorsed by the New South Wales government’s Investment Delivery Authority (IDA) in its opening round.
The IDA is designed to accelerate the delivery of major investment projects across the state. It aims to fast-track projects by identifying barriers and coordinating government efforts to resolve them.
“The Investment Delivery Authority supports better government coordination across all stages of complex and significant projects,” NSW Planning Minister Paul Scully said. “By bringing multiple arms of government together we’re supporting better outcomes for communities, jobs and the economy.”
The Dinawan project is also backed by a federal underwriting deal through the Australian government’s flagship Capacity Investment Scheme (CIS).
From pv magazine Australia
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