Susanna Freymark
A large scale solar farm in Richmond Valley that will power 36,000 homes has been approved by the State Government.
The $312 million Summerville Solar Farm to be built at Myrtle Creek will be on land currently used for cattle grazing and is about 7km east of Rappville and 25km south of Casino.
The solar farm will have a generating capacity of 90 megawatts with a 360-megawatt hour battery. The energy storage system will allow it to capture solar energy during daylight and release that energy to the grid when it is needed.
There were 36 public submissions about the project – 34 were objections and two were in support of the solar farm.
Four community organisations made submissions against the project.
The Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure responded to key issues raised during the community consultation period including biodiversity and fire safety. Read the full report here.
The project has been approved, subject to strict conditions including a 10metre perimeter for fire safety and to mitigate any impacts on traffic and the environment.
Part of the agreement is that ESCO provides $3.1 million to Richmond Valley Council to deliver infrastructure and community benefits.
The Summerville Solar Farm requires approval from the Commonwealth Government before construction can begin.
Since March 2023, the State Government has delivered 34 renewable energy State Significant Development assessments, including five wind farms, 12 solar farms and 15 large scale energy storage systems.
For more information on planning approvals for the solar farm, go here.
Minister for the North Coast Janelle Saffin said it was a big win for the community.
“Renewable energy projects are the cheapest form of energy to build,” Ms Saffin said.
“They mean more jobs, cleaner energy, and reliable power as more projects like Summerville get built.”
In August last year, Ark Energy held a community information session at Ellangowan Hall for the Richmond Valley solar farm. Read more about that here.
Much of the information in this report was provided by the NSW Government.