Development Application Approved For Pallamana Solar Farm

Proposed layout for Pallamana Solar Farm | RES Australia Pty Ltd.

It’s been reported the development application for a proposed large-scale solar + storage facility near Murray Bridge in South Australia has been given the thumbs-up.

While the SA Planning Portal was indicating RES Australia’s development application for Pallamana Solar Farm was still under assessment at the time of writing, The Advertiser reports (paywall) it has been granted approval.

The proposed project is a 176MW facility also incorporating lithium-ion battery storage with an indicative capacity of 66 MW (140MWh). The clean power station is to be constructed on a 780-hectare site at 166 & 229 Hillview Road & Monarto Road, Pallamana – which is around 4 kilometres north-west of the outskirts of Murray Bridge. The site was chosen for its excellent solar resources and close proximity to grid transmission network infrastructure with available capacity.

The development plan for Pallamana Solar Farm was lodged last September and published for public viewing in November. RES Australia had been anticipating this sort of timeline for approval and according to the Pallamana Solar Farm website, construction could commence next year if the company chooses to proceed.

Around 200 direct jobs will be created during construction and approximately 4 full-time staff members will be required during its expected operational lifespan of  25-30 years.

RES (Renewable Energy Systems) says it has delivered more than 16 GW of renewable energy projects across the globe. While much of its focus has been around wind power, the company has 1.5 GW of big solar in development and 430MW constructed or under construction. Here in Australia, RES’s solar energy portfolio includes projects near Emerald (QLD), Dalby (QLD) and Deniliquin (NSW).

Big Solar Powering Ahead In SA

The news of development approval for Pallamana Solar Farm comes after a week of significant milestones achieved for several other large-scale PV projects in South Australia.

• $650 million Bungama Solar project near Port Pirie had been approved (280 MW (AC) PV + 140MW/560MWh battery storage)
• 200MW Solar River project near Robertstown secured a power purchase agreement.
• Mobilong Solar Farm (5MW) near Murray Bridge commenced full operations.

According to South Australian Energy and Mining Minister Dan van Holst Pellekaan, more than 10GW of large-scale wind and solar energy projects are on the drawing board in the state. Last month, Minister van Holst Pellekaan predicted the state would achieve “net” 100 per cent renewables by 2030.