A development assessment panel has been unable to decide on a $400 million solar hybrid project in Narrogin, returning the proposal to the applicant for another month.
A development assessment panel has been unable to decide on a $400 million solar hybrid project in Narrogin, returning the proposal to the applicant for another month.
New South Wales company ACE Power proposed to build a solar energy generation and battery energy storage system across three lots on Great Southern Highway.
The development will include a 200-megawatt facility of 400,000 solar panels, a 200-megawatt four-hour BESS of 800MWh capacity, and a grid connection route to connect the site to Western Power’s Narrogin south substation.
The Shire of Narrogin recommended the Regional Development Assessment Panel to approve the proposed solar and battery project.
However, issues arose at the meeting on Thursday afternoon when DAP members were unable to process a last-minute influx of proposed amendments.
The panel unanimously voted for a deferral of up to 30 days, to enable the shire to engage with ACE Power over the drafted conditions.
DAP deputy presiding member Dale Page said she has not properly digested the applicant’s report, after the document was submitted the morning before the meeting.
“We were faced with a situation where a large number of the conditions were challenged and in response the shire came back with amended wording not only for those conditions but for most other conditions,” she said.
“In many cases the shire’s amended conditions were worded appropriately.
“But it became really confusing towards the end as to which one are we dealing with and this panel then has to move all of those as amendments on the floors.
“It becomes really messy and has the potential for things to slip through the cracks.
“There were just a lot of questions that I still don’t have answers to as well as the fact that this panel receives the applicant’s planning report this morning at about 10.30.”
ACE Power has flagged other renewable energy projects in WA including the 500MW Walebing and 216MW Hill River wind farms in the Wheatbelt and a 150MW BESS in Pinjarra.
