Octopus Australia has formally begun construction on the 22 MW Blind Creek Solar Farm and Battery project. This great new development in Bungendore, New South Wales. This ambitious project is estimated to cost A$900 million (about $639 million). The ultimate goal is to substantially increase the region’s renewable energy generation and storage capacity.
A recent ceremonial groundbreaking, featuring New South Wales Premier Chris Minns, is the latest sign of progress. At the announcement event, Premier Minns spoke about the importance of renewable energy projects to the State’s effort to achieve sustainability and carbon neutral goals. The Blind Creek project is an important step in the right direction towards reaching those goals.
This new innovative facility will incorporate the latest solar generation and battery storage technology. It will produce 300 megawatts (MW) of solar energy. Further, it will feature a 243 MW battery system with 486 megawatt-hours of capacity. These technologies work together perfectly to store energy created during daylight hours. This accumulated energy is then available at the time it’s most needed – during peak demand times and especially in the evening.
This will eventually be connected to the National Electricity Market’s (NEM) main transmission line between Sydney and Canberra through a new substation. This infrastructure will help make sure that the green electricity produced at the Blind Creek facility will be quickly delivered to the regional power grid. The project expects to be fully operational by 2028 and will make a considerable addition to the region’s energy landscape.
At its peak construction, the project is expected to generate as many as 300 FTE jobs on the project. 50 percent of these roles will be filled by workers from Bungendore and the adjacent Monaro region. This relocation is expected to have a tremendous economic impact on the surrounding community. GRS has now been selected as the engineering, procurement, and construction contractor. Furthermore, Wärtsilä Energy Storage announced that they would provide the battery components for the project.
Most significantly, the Blind Creek project integrated environmental factors into its design as a means to provide more flood resiliency. The development allows for continued grazing operations on land that has supported animal production for 155 years, ensuring that agricultural practices can coexist with renewable energy initiatives.