AGL's Second Solar Farm in New South Wales Nears Construction

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources Australia (Perth, Australia)--Construction on AGL Energy Limited's (Sydney, Australia) 53-megawatt (MW) Broken Hill Photovoltaic Solar Plant is expected to begin by the third quarter of 2014, according to a spokesperson for AGL. The Broken Hill solar project will be located five kilometers (3.1 miles) southwest of the Broken Hill Township in regional New South Wales, Australia. The power project received financial closure following funding agreements with the Australian Renewable Energy Agency in August 2013.

In 2012, AGL signed up First Solar Australia Pty Limited (Sydney, Australia), a subsidiary of First Solar Incorporated (NASDAQ:FSLR) (Tempe, Arizona), as the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor. The selection of First Solar concluded a comprehensive selection process that included several qualified groups.

First Solar subsequently selected Consolidated Power Projects Australia Pty Limited (Adelaide, South Australia) as a subcontractor, while Sinclair Knight Merz Limited (Sydney) was chosen to provide consultation services for the project.

Most recently, in November 2013, First Solar finalized IXL Group (Victoria, Australia) to provide structural framing equipment for the project.

The Broken Hill solar farm will be built on a 200-hectare (494-acre) site and will involve the installation of more than 650,000 of First Solar's advanced cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin-film photovoltaic modules. Early site work is expected to begin by the early third quarter of 2014. Major construction will begin toward late 2014, and the solar farm is expected to be brought online in December 2015.

The proposal includes construction of a 22-kilovolt (kV) overhead transmission line to connect the solar plant with the existing Broken Hill Substation. The transmission line easement will be over a length of 2.5 kilometers (1.6 miles).

First Solar will maintain the plant for five years after commercial operations begin, with full ownership and operating rights retained by AGL. According to AGL, the $200 million Broken Hill project will benefit the local community by generating approximately 150 direct jobs during the construction period.

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