AGL and First Solar have opened the first section of the Nyngan Solar Plant in western New South Wales. The plant is now online and feeding renewable energy into the National Electricity Market.
Close to 350,000 solar photovoltaic (PV) panels are producing up to 25 MW of electricity. Once complete, the plant will output up to 102 MW, enough to power 33,000 homes per year.
ARENA CEO Ivor Frischknecht congratulated AGL and First Solar on the achievement and said the project is paving the way for more large-scale solar plants to be built in Australia.
“The AGL solar project will make similar plants more competitive in Australia by helping to break down financial, regulatory and technical barriers. In addition to creating jobs, boosting skills and contributing to local communities, the development of utility scale solar is vital to a diverse energy future,” Mr Frischknecht said.
During the peak of construction more than 250 people were employed on site. Business and residents in the Nyngan area and wider Orana region have benefited from local procurement and employment throughout construction.
The plant is part of the AGL solar project, which is supported by $166.7 million from ARENA and $64.9 million from the NSW Government. It will see new solar plants constructed in Nyngan and Broken Hill with a combined generation capacity of up to 155 MW.
For more information see Shining a light on solar research.
