FRV Sets Sights on 2013 Construction Start for Royalla Solar Farm

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Perth, Australia)--Fotowatio Renewable Ventures Pty Limited (FRV) (Sydney, New South Wales) will build two solar photovoltaic power plants in the Australian Capital Territory, with a total power generation capacity of 40 megawatts (MW).

The solar plants will utilize 166,000 photovoltaic panels to concentrate the sun's rays, covering a total area of 100 hectares (1 square kilometer). The solar panels will be mounted on fixed tilt/single axis tracking systems on metal frames with concrete or screw-pile footings. When completed, Royalla Solar Farm will generate electricity to about 4,500 homes and evade over half a million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions. Each phase will involve the installation of 83,000 solar photovoltaic panels. The project will be built in the town of Royalla, which is approximately 23 kilometers (km) south of Canberra, Australia.

FRV Australia is a subsidiary of Fotowatio Renewable Ventures, a company headquartered in Madrid, Spain. The company already has developed several solar farms, accounting for more than 360 MW of renewable capacity globally, and has its involvement in the development of more than 2,750 MW of solar farms across the globe.

Both the Royalla Solar facilities, with an investment value of more than $100 million, are scheduled for operation in 2014 and 2016 and will generate 40 megawatts of electricity per year. Construction on Royalla Solar Phase I will start in July 2013, and the facility will start generating power for the grid by April 2014. Subject to approvals and permits, FRV will begin construction on the Royalla II by mid-2014, with an expected completion period by the first quarter of 2015.

In addition to the solar projects, the project includes construction on an 11-kilovolt (kV), overhead transmission line that consists of a 4.5-kilometer easement running along the recently established 132-kV power line easement to connect to the Theodore Substation.

FRV is currently seeking final permits for the construction of the Phase I solar project, as well as the transmission line project. FRV will seek the contractors and equipment suppliers on final approvals and begin construction by the third quarter of 2013.

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