en.Wedoany.com Reported - Samsung C&T Renewable Energy Australia is seeking federal government approval to build a solar-battery hybrid project in southern New South Wales, with a battery energy storage system capable of providing up to four hours of storage capacity.

The project, named Boro Solar Farm, has entered the federal environmental assessment process under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act). The plan involves installing up to 150 megawatts (MW) of solar generation capacity approximately an hour's drive east of Canberra, along with a 250 MW, 1,000 megawatt-hour (MWh) battery energy storage system.

The proposed site is located about 40 kilometers south of Goulburn and approximately 200 kilometers southwest of Sydney, spanning the jurisdictions of Goulburn Mulwaree Council and Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council in southeastern New South Wales and the Highlands region.

In its proposal, the developer stated that the project covers approximately 420 hectares, an area previously largely cleared and used for agricultural farming, and historically subject to mining activities for gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc. The solar farm will include the construction, operation, and decommissioning of photovoltaic arrays and a battery energy storage system (BESS), with a total generation capacity of 400 MW (comprising up to 150 MW from the solar farm and a 250 MW/1,000 MWh storage system). The solar farm will connect the photovoltaic arrays to a central substation via underground cables, where the power will be stepped up to 330 kV and transmitted to the existing TransGrid 330 kV overhead transmission line south of the project.

Renewable energy development in Goulburn and the surrounding area has been controversial. Although Goulburn is home to Australia's first community solar and battery project (launched in March this year), the region also faces strong community opposition to solar and wind projects. In 2022, local landowners jointly opposed the development of a nearby 400 MW solar farm and large-scale battery, arguing that the project was unsuitable for "the agricultural nature of the Gundary Plains." The Gundary Solar Farm, initiated by Lightsource bp, faced opposition from a group called "Stop Gundary Solar Farm," which received support from federal opposition leader Angus Taylor and Goulburn MP Wendy Tuckerman. More recently, the proposed Merino Solar Farm and battery project (450 MW/1,800 MWh) by EDP Renewables Australia in Tirannaville, south of Goulburn, sparked similar opposition and was voted down by the Goulburn Mulwaree Council.