Orange Community Renewable Energy Park Plans Unveiled

Image: Google Maps

ITP Development is proposing a solar farm with battery storage for a site approximately 6 kilometres north of Orange in New South Wales.

Orange Community Renewable Energy Park is to be up to 6.05MW DC / 5MW AC capacity and have battery storage of 5MWh. The facility will generate up to 12 GWh of electricity annually.

Approximately 16,000 solar modules will be installed in 188 rows on single axis trackers running north to south. The firm says the project has been specifically designed to minimise visual impact from adjacent roads, neighbouring properties and residences. The subject land is approximately 72.8 hectares with 22.6 hectares to be occupied by the facility, which will have direct frontage to the Mitchell Highway.

ITP Development says the project has an estimated capital investment value of up to $7 million and will create up to 50 jobs during the construction period, with 2-3 permanent local jobs thereafter.

Being under $10 million means the project is not considered a State Significant Development (SSD) and doesn’t need to be put before the NSW Independent Planning Commission; it will instead be determined by the Western Regional Planning Panel.

What Makes This Project “Community”?

ITP says it focuses on “town-scale” projects that connect to local distributions networks, so predominately providing electricity to customers in the general area. Orange Community Renewable Energy Park will connect to Essential Energy’s 11 kV distribution network.

ITP Development, part of the UK’s IT Energised Group, was established in 2003 and is headquartered in Canberra. Last November, the firm submitted a development application for a similar sized facility in Armidale, NSW. Earlier in 2019, ITP revealed plans for a 10MW project near Mudgee, which caused a bit of controversy over its siting around 6km north of the town.

The public comment period for Orange Community Renewable Energy Park kicked off last Friday and will run to Friday, 6 March 2020. Further details can be found here.

Large-Scale Solar Energy In Orange City Council LGA

There doesn’t appear to be any. APVI notes that as at September last year, there were no operational solar power systems above 100kW capacity. So, depending on when this is built if approved, it could be the largest solar farm in the Orange City Council local government area. ITP says construction of a 5MW facility usually takes three months.

But solar panels in Orange are already a common sight, with approximately 2,893 installations under 10kW and 279 installs between 10kW and 100kW. Approximately 16.7% of dwellings in the Orange Council area had solar systems installed as at September, compared to a NSW average of 20.4%. Among the commercial solar installations is a 100kW system at Orange Airport.