Neoen Australia Pty. Ltd. submitted an application with regional authorities to develop a "hybrid" renewable energy facility of up to 2,700 MW in Burra, South Australia.
The new Goyder South power complex is the evolved plan of the Stony Gap wind project already under development that was to be built in the same location, the subsidiary of France-headquartered Neoen SA said in its Aug. 19 application to the Regional Council of Goyder.
The new complex, if fully built out, will contain 1,200 MW of wind, 600 MW of solar and 900 MW/1,800 MWh of battery storage resources, with an overall cost of nearly A$3 billion. About 30,000 hectares of land would be required.
Neoen purchased the approximately 119-MW Stony Gap wind project in September 2019 with plans to develop it into a larger hybrid renewables project. The Goyder South project will become part of the larger Goyder Renewable Zone, or GRZ, that Neoen Australia has been developing since 2017, according to the filing.
The wind farm will comprise 163 wind turbines with a capacity of 7.3 MW each. The solar farm will span over 3,000 hectares. The wind farm will be completed in three equal phases of 400 MW; the solar farm will be completed in three phases of 200 MW each; and the battery storage facility will be completed in three 300-MW phases.
Once the project secures regulatory approvals, Neoen Australia will start construction work on the first phases within three years after reaching required financial close.
Each phase will take three years to reach commercial operations, Neoen said. Construction of subsequent phases will begin three years after the start of work on the previous phase, taking the whole project to the finish line by 2032 at the earliest.
Other ancillary infrastructure includes three substations, access tracks, underground connection cabling and transmission lines. The full project will be completed in fives stages. Stage A will include the wind project and its related ancillary infrastructure, stage B will include solar plus ancillary infrastructure, and stage C will include storage facility and its ancillary works. Stage D and E will include building the transmission lines and the remaining balance of work.
The battery storage facility, touted as the largest in Australia, will have a storage capability of two hours. It will add consistency to the output, allowing Neoen to secure hedge power contracts with industrial customers and power retailers.
The first stages of wind, solar and storage projects will be able to use the existing transmission infrastructure in the region. The latter stages of the project will complement a new transmission project, known as EnergyConnect, that will connect South Australia to New South Wales. The transmission line, being developed by ElectraNet Pty. Ltd. and the South Australian government, will be able to utilize Neoen's GRZ at full potential.
Neoen wins solar tender in Ireland
Separately, Neoen said Aug. 20 that it won 55 MW of solar capacity in Ireland's solar tender.
The company will partner with Dublin-based solar developer BNRG Renewables Ltd. to develop three projects in the Irish townlands of Hilltown, Millvale and Hortland. The projects are scheduled for commissioning by the second half of 2021.