ACEN Australia welcomes the Independent Planning Commission’s (IPC) approval of the Birriwa Solar and Battery project.
The approval of the 600MWac solar PV generator and 600MW/2hr BESS is a significant milestone for ACEN, as we progress development of our 13GW pipeline across Australia, adding to our existing 400MWac New England Solar and 400MWac Stubbo Solar projects.
With more than 8GW targeted to be in construction or operational by 2030, ACEN is playing a major role in meeting the needs of Australia’s electricity consumers in the coming decade and beyond.
This approval also marks the first generation and storage project approved for connection to the Central West Orana Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) transmission network.
We thank the local community, Mid-Western Regional Council, Warrumbungle Shire Council and our other stakeholders for their ongoing feedback during the development phase, which has helped us refine our project.
Our attention will now turn to preparing for construction, including development of temporary workers accommodation, implementing our strategies to employ local staff where possible, and to source goods and services from local businesses. We will also continue to contribute to long-term benefits for the local community through our Social Investment Program. We anticipate construction will commence in late 2026 or early 2027, with energy generation from the project anticipated around 2029, in line with the CWO REZ timeframes.
About the project
The Birriwa Solar and Battery Project is a 600-megawatt renewable energy project approved across an area of approximately 1,200 hectares of mostly cleared grazing land, about 20km southeast of Dunedoo, in the NSW Central-West Orana region. It will generate enough energy to power approximately 262,000 average Australian homes.
The solar component of the project will have a capacity of around 600 megawatts (MW) and include a centralised Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) of up to 600 MW for 2 hours. The BESS will enable energy from solar to be stored and then released during times of demand. The project is proposed to connect to the Merotherie Energy Hub and the associated 500kV and 330kV transmission infrastructure proposed by EnergyCo NSW as part of the CWO REZ development.
The project will involve up to 500 jobs during peak construction. Upon completion, it is anticipated that sheep grazing will continue on site, expanding on ACEN Australia’s success with solar grazing at our New England Solar project.
About ACEN Australia
ACEN Australia is the platform representing ACEN’s renewable energy assets in Australia. With more than 1 gigawatt (GW) capacity of large scale renewable energy generation in construction and operations, and more than 13GW capacity in the development pipeline, its portfolio includes solar, wind, battery and pumped hydro projects across Australia.
New England Solar (Stage 1) in NSW is ACEN Australia’s first operational project. It is one of Australia’s largest solar projects participating in the National Electricity Market (NEM) and is the largest solar project in Australia to be financed on a fully merchant basis. Stubbo Solar in the NSW Central West Orana Renewable Energy Zone is ACEN Australia’s second project, which commenced construction in late 2022.
With 100+ employees and growing, our people are based in Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and West Australia.