Wollar Solar Development is in the process of finalising access arrangements and preparing appropriate environmental management plans and commercial documents, with a view to commence construction on the facility this year.
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The 800-hectare site is located on the western side of Barigan Road, approximately 7km south of the Wollar village and about 38km northeast of Mudgee. And was selected because of its access to local and major roads and close proximity to the national grid transmission network.
Having completed assessment and consultation with Mid-Western Regional Council, involved landowners, local environmental groups and neighbours, Wollar Solar Development is working with the owners of the nearby Wilpinjong Coal Mine. This will be to finalise access arrangements across Peabody-owned land to facilitate construction.
Wilpinjong general manager, Blair Jackson, said they're looking forward to seeing the project established.
"Peabody has acquired substantial landholdings around its Wilpinjong mine to manage the impacts of mining operations on our neighbours," he said.
"And we're pleased to be able to work with the renewable energy industry to use that land to support a project that is compatible with coal mining activities and provides benefits to the broader community."
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Work is planned to start in 2020 with around an 18 to 24 month construction period, which will provide about 300 employment opportunities ahead of five full-me ongoing jobs once the project is commissioned.
Managing director of Wollar Solar Farm, Bruce Howard, said, "now that the project has been approved, it's important keep the local community updated about our progress".
"The community is a key priority for Wollar Solar Farm. Consultation will continue throughout the project's development," he said.
"Anyone interested in the project is encouraged to visit the website for more information, and to subscribe to the newsletter which will publish project updates. They can also call with questions or feedback."
The State Significant Development will provide up to 290 megawatts of generating capacity, sufficient to supply over 500GWh of renewable electricity to the national electricity grid when it is fully operational. To power around 104,926 average homes and eliminate approximately 515,564 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.
And includes approval for a battery storage facility with a capacity of 30 megawatt hours, which can support the security and supply of electricity to consumers.
