Victoria Shines With Two New 30-Megawatt Solar Farms Under Way

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Perth, Australia)--Albury-based ECO for LIFE Private Limited (Sydney, Australia) has proposed to build a 30-megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic plant south of Kerang, Victoria.

The project was given planning permits by the Gannawarra Shire Council in December 2012, the council, which is very supportive, and eagerly waiting for the project to come to reality.

ECO for LIFE Pty Limited has indicated that they are now in negotiations with commercial contractors regarding construction and financing of the project. The project will have a total capital value of approximately $30 million.

The solar farm will be built on a 36-hectare site and will utilize around 130,000 (235W) Thin-film Photovoltaic Solar Panels, which will be mounted on specially designed Solar Tracking systems. Construction work is expected to start mid-2013, and the power plant will take around 14 months to be completed.

According to the Gannawarra Shire, the project will provide significant employment opportunities to the locals of Victoria by providing 60 to 100 jobs during construction. Once built, the solar farm will generate 52 gigawatt hours of energy to power 14,300 homes and save 62,000 tonnes of carbon emissions a year.

Cleangen Power (formerly known as AKK Consulting) (Sydney, Australia) is developing another 30-MW Solar Photo Voltaic project in the same Kerang region. The project received planning approval in August 2012 and is currently under construction.

Mallee solar farm is a 180-MW solar farm, which was proposed by Energy Australia Private Limited (Melbourne, Victoria) in 2011. The $700 million project, which is to be built in the south of Mildura, Victoria, is described as one of the largest solar power station in the world. However, the project is in trouble after it failed to receive federal funding under the solar flagship program in December last year. The initial proposal was refused during March 2012. Energy Australia will make a decision whether to scuttle the project or continue with the development in future, while it tries to find interested parties to provide capital for the project.

"Naturally, I'm disappointed, but the opportunities and credentials of Mildura are so good that I am confident that someone else will come along," said Peter Crisp, Member for Mildura.

Industrial Info tracks a solar project at Mildura, which is developed by Solar Systems Pty Limited (Melbourne, Victoria). The 154-MW solar project will be developed in three stages, with the first 2-MW plant currently under construction.

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