AGL Announces Broken Hill Solar Plant Has Started Generating Electricity
Australian utility AGL Energy Limited has announced its Broken Hill Solar Plant has begun generating electricity.
Announced on Thursday, AGL Energy Limited revealed that the 26 MW Broken Hill Solar Plant, located in the the eastern state of New South Wales, began generating electricity and feeding it into Australia’s National Electricity Market. The plant is not fully completed yet, with the currently-installed 26 MW only representing half of the expected 53 MW.
The full compliment of 678,000 solar PV modules are expected to be installed over the next few months, and AGL notes that the plant is “on track to be fully operational by the end of this year.”
“We are very pleased to have achieved first generation which requires a lot of testing and coordination from multiple project partners,” said AGL Executive General Manager Group Operations, Doug Jackson. “We have worked closely with the local network services provider, TransGrid, the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) and project partner First Solar to ensure generation was successful.”
“Once fully operational the Broken Hill plant will produce enough renewable energy to power 17,000 homes annually,” Mr Jackson added.
Once finished, the Broken Hill Solar Plant will be the second largest utility-scale solar power plant in the country, falling in behind its sister plant, the 102 MW Nyngan Solar Plant, also located in New South Wales.
“Together with its facility at Nyngan, AGL has developed the two largest solar farms in the southern hemisphere here in NSW – valuable assets to our State’s power industry and a sign of our commitment to grow a clean and diverse energy supply,” said the NSW Minister for Industry Resources and Energy, Anthony Roberts.
“NSW is leading Australia in supporting the clean energy sector, which contributes to lower energy costs and provides employment and investment particularly in regional communities.”
Image Credit: Worker installing modules at a First Solar project at Broken Hill Solar Plant via AGL Energy Limited
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