New South Wales, Australia Invests AUD 3 Million to Study Solar-Storage Microgrids in Four Locations

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 16, the New South Wales government of Australia announced an investment of AUD 3 million for Essential Energy, the distribution network operator, to conduct a pre-feasibility study on photovoltaic microgrids and battery energy storage for four communities in the Far West remote region of the state, involving White Cliffs, Tibooburra, Milparinka, and Packsaddle. The study will determine suitable local generation and energy storage facility options for each location, and after completing the technical assessment, submit the results to the state government as the basis for deciding whether to proceed to the next phase of construction.

Among them, White Cliffs is proposed to study a new solar microgrid; Tibooburra will evaluate the retrofit of its existing diesel backup power supply system using solar and battery systems; Milparinka and Packsaddle will focus on studying the deployment of battery energy storage to provide local support when the main grid experiences an outage. Essential Energy will separately assess the load, existing network conditions, and required new generation and storage assets for each community.

This AUD 3 million in funding was formally approved for Essential Energy in June 2026, under the project name Far West NSW Microgrid and Energy Resilience Program. According to the funding documents published by the New South Wales government, Essential Energy has proposed three implementation options. Under the preferred option, the solutions for Tibooburra, Milparinka, and Packsaddle are planned to be completed and put into operation no later than December 31, 2028, while the White Cliffs project is planned to be put into operation no later than December 31, 2029.

The other two alternative options also plan to complete the Tibooburra, Milparinka, and Packsaddle projects by the end of 2028, but the White Cliffs project may be delayed until the end of 2032. In response to this situation, Essential Energy has proposed that after the Tibooburra microgrid is put into operation, the existing local diesel generators could be transferred to White Cliffs to serve as a temporary power supply solution between 2028 and 2032; this temporary solution is not within the scope of the current AUD 3 million funding.

The current round of work is still at the pre-feasibility study stage and has not yet entered engineering construction or equipment procurement. The New South Wales government and Essential Energy have not yet announced the photovoltaic installed capacity, energy storage power and capacity, total construction investment, EPC arrangements, and equipment procurement scale for each of the four projects. After the study is completed, Essential Energy will submit the options for each location to the New South Wales government, which will then decide whether to proceed with subsequent design and construction.

An important preceding milestone for the project was the severe storm in the Far West region in October 2024 that caused transmission tower collapses and triggered widespread power outages. Since then, the New South Wales government and Essential Energy have continued to study power supply resilience solutions for remote communities. According to state parliament records, the New South Wales Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water has discussed Far West microgrid construction and funding needs with Essential Energy multiple times since November 2025, and White Cliffs is also one of the key areas of discussion.

This study will also involve collaboration with local Aboriginal communities to identify local economic participation opportunities during project development and implementation. Essential Energy has previously advanced renewable energy microgrid projects in Wilcannia and Sunset Strip/Menindee, and this AUD 3 million plan further covers four other remote communities in the Far West.