Alinta seeks EPA approval for solar farm

Alinta Energy has lodged environmental documents for a 90 megawatt Port Hedland solar farm, days after receiving development approval for a battery.

The project will include 220,000 solar panels, across the Great Northern Highway from its Boodarie Power Station, according to documents submitted to the Environmental Protection Authority.

The solar farm is the third project the utility is progressing in Port Hedland.

In 2021, Alinta requested development approval for a battery and additional gas generation capacity at Boodarie in South Hedland, but needed to pause the process to gain environmental approval.

The gas and battery proposals were then split, Business News revealed in March.

The EPA is assessing a bid to expand gas capacity by 60MW.

The battery is already progressing, and was approved by the Regional Joint Development Assessment Panel last Thursday.

It will have 120 megawatt hours of storage with 60MW discharge capacity, larger than first proposed.