en.Wedoany.com Reported - Australian renewable energy company Ark Energy has completed a key approval for its Richmond Valley Solar Farm and Battery Energy Storage System hybrid project in northern New South Wales to connect to the National Electricity Market. The project has received a 5.3.4.A/B letter from Transgrid, confirming compliance with generator performance standards. Approvals from the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) and the transmission network provider allow the project to connect to the 330kV local network via a newly built switching station.
Located approximately 25 kilometers south of Casino, the project has received planning approval to build a solar farm with a capacity of 500 megawatts (or 435 megawatts AC), along with a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery system with a capacity of up to 475 megawatts. The project will utilize grid-forming inverter technology and will be one of the first hybrid solar and battery storage projects in the National Electricity Market to connect through a single point of interconnection.
Ark Energy CEO Michael Choi stated that securing grid access is a significant achievement, bringing the project closer to financial close and groundbreaking. The project is the company's flagship initiative and, once operational, will contribute to electricity supply and grid stability in New South Wales and the National Electricity Market. According to Ark Energy, the approval followed a detailed technical assessment including design changes, power system modeling, various simulations, network studies, and collaborative workshops.
Construction is targeted to begin later this year. The first phase will include a 200 megawatt AC solar farm and a lithium iron phosphate battery storage system with a capacity of 275 megawatts/2.2 gigawatt-hours. In December 2025, the project received approval from the Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, following prior development approval from the New South Wales government. The Richmond Valley Solar and Battery Storage Project appears on the Australian government's first National Renewable Energy Priority List and is Ark Energy's second project in New South Wales to receive both state and federal approvals. The company is currently developing a series of large-scale renewable energy generation and storage projects in New South Wales, Queensland, and Tasmania.
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