Ark Energy, the clean energy developer headquartered in Queensland, which partnered with the Sun Metals zinc refinery in Queenslandis a subsidiary of Korea Zinchas, has received approval from the New South Wales (NSW) government for the 435 MW solar component of its hybrid Richmond Valley project.
The solar farm will be co-located with a 475 MW/2,200 MWh long-duration, eight-hour lithium iron phosphate battery energy storage system (BESS).
The AUD 1.2 billion solar park and BESS hybrid is on the federal government’s national priority list, promises the capacity to power 175,000 homes and will be located in the Northern Rivers region, 255km south of Brisbane and 728km north of Sydney.
Michael Choi, CEO of Ark Energy, said the project will play an important role in supporting the state’s energy transition.
“We thank everyone involved in supporting Ark Energy to reach this exciting milestone, including members of the local community for their input during the assessment process. We look forward to continuing to work with the project’s stakeholders in the next phase,” said Choi.
NSW Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said once operational the project would be able to power every home in the Northern Rivers region – which was recorded in the 2021 census – and 31,000 more.
“It also includes battery storage, meaning that even when the sun isn’t shining, stored energy can still be sent to the grid,” Scully said.
A final decision on the DCCEEW project is pending.
Ark Energy has signed an Early Contractor Engagement (ECI) agreement with the major engineering, procurement and construction company in Spain Elecnor Australia to undertake early work in Richmond Valley such as detailed engineering design and plant design balance for the BESS.
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