Issue 176
23 October 2019
Your independent community newspaper - Ph: 4325 7369
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220,000 solar panels to be installed on Delta Electricity’s coal ash dam
ews of a power partnership in a $75M solar project on Delta Electricity’s coal ash dam, comes only two weeks after the announcement of a Parliamentary Inquiry into rehabilitation of ash dams at coal fired power stations. One of the Inquiry’s criteria is to investigate site remediation and re-purposing of the land, and this Delta Electricity solar project is a good example of repurposing, according to the NSW Department of Environment and Planning. Coal ash from the Vales Point Power Station has been dumped in a huge dam area off Ruttleys Rd since the power station opened in the 1960s. Over the years the ash dam has been capped with soil and other landfill as well as replanting with native grasses. The solar field will be on about 80ha of the rehabilitated portion of the 524ha ash dam, within the 1,730ha Vales Point power station landholding. The $75M project will create 100 construction jobs and five full-time ongoing positions. Community feedback about the project has been generally positive as a good use of the rehabilitated areas of the ash dam. An evaluation report
The brown shaded area is the solar farm area within the ash dam boundary depicted by the yellow broken line (including Mannering Lake in the bottom left of the boundary). Electricity transmission lines are shown in pink by NSW Department of is likely to ecological clean electricity annually, and federal government Planning and Environment communities, migratory which is enough to power renewable energy said even though species and, particularly, about 20,000 homes targets. some environmental threatened species, and and save up to 116,000 This innovative project impacts were identified, even though wading tonnes of greenhouse will pioneer in Australia a such as temporary birds use the saltmarsh, gas emissions a year. fully ballasted system to traffic inconvenience, it was not considered Independent power anchor the solar panels, ecological impacts, a “critical” habitat, the producer and investment where traditional driven construction noise and report said. company, Enernet Global, or screw piles are not vibration, they had been Safety improvements and Delta Electricity, have possible, such as the avoided or minimised, and road upgrades signed a power purchase rehabilitated ash dam wherever possible, will take place at the agreement for the sale of surface. through design and access off Ruttleys Rd, 87GWh of energy from Delta Electricity CEO, mitigation measures. Mannering Park, with the 62MW solar farm. Greg Everett, said The report said the dedicated turning lanes Enernet will finance other advantages for beneficial effects of from both directions into and construct the solar establishing a solar farm renewable energy the property. farm and sell the power to at Vales Point was the generation, on land Construction will start Delta, who will distribute proximity to an existing unsuitable for any other in the second quarter of it through the national grid connection and development, was 2020 and be operational electricity grid. already being in the considered to outweigh by the end of the year. Delta will also use land-use zone for power the mostly temporary There will be about power from the solar generation. adverse impacts and 220,000 solar panels, farm in its retail business, “The partnership with risks associated with the 2.4m high, which will ensuring a significant Enernet recognises project. generate 120,000MW of contribution to state that both dispatchable No significant impact
power and low emission technologies have a role to play in supporting an affordable, reliable and sustainable national electricity grid,” he said. “Vales Point (power station) is an example of how both technologies can be co-located and integrated into the grid,” Everett said. Vales Point solar farm will have an estimated life of 30 years when it would either be rejuvenated or decommissioned. Solar projects are highly reversible after decommissioning, with all above-ground infrastructure able to be removed. Over the next 18 years, Vales Point will be one of four NSW coal-fired power stations to close, and this transition to solar energy will add to NSW’s five major renewable power projects, one of which is the largest solar farm in Australia. Enernet Global President, Paul Matthews, said Vales Point solar farm would pave the way for his company to deliver similar plants in other challenging sites across Australia, including other ash dam sites, mining tailings dams and landfill sites.
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Source: Environment Impact Statement NSW Dept Planning & Environment Media statements, Oct 21 Delta Electricity and Enernet Media release, Oct 17 Delta Electricity Journalist, Sue Murray