A new solar farm has been proposed for the outskirts of Quirindi by the same company building similar projects near Gunnedah and Boggabri.

The proposed solar farm at Quirindi would be located north east of the township at the corner of Porters Lane and Borah Creek Road.

It would have capacity to power 2150 homes.

The farm would cover about 11.09 hectares of agricultural land and feature 10,750 solar modules ranging in height from 1.5 metres to 2.75 metres installed in 128 rows running east to west. There is approximately 6m spacing between each row.

The Quirindi 1B Solar Farm project, if approved by the Northern Regional Planning Panel, has an estimated capital investment value of $8.67 million. The applicant, ITP Development Pty Ltd, is Australian-owned company primarily focused on the development of “town-scale” solar farms, typically in the 5MW to 20MW range. ITP Development has proposed similar small-scale projects in Gunnedah, Boggabri, Narrabri, Kootingal, and Armidale.

The design allows for the Quirindi solar farm to coexist with existing rural activities such as animal grazing and cropping, ensuring minimal disruption to current land use. Each row of photovoltaic (PV) modules will track the sun across the sky from east to west daily, maximising energy production.

Components of the facility include two 3.4MW inverter stations that are 3 metres high and each mounted on a 12.2-metre-long skid; a 2.9-metre-high kiosk to convert high and medium voltage to low voltage electricity suitable for connection to the local system and a battery storage system that is 12.2 metres long, 2.4 metres wide and 2.9 metres high located alongside the inverter stations.

The electricity generated will be directed to Quirindi through existing electrical infrastructure, significantly contributing to the local power supply for households and businesses.

The development is expected to create about 50 jobs during the construction phase, offering potential employment opportunities to local residents and creating a new market for local contractors.

The solar farm’s lifespan is projected to be 35 years, with the developer adopting a flexible approach to accommodate potential changes in market conditions and technological advancements over the next decade.

ITP is also developing the Gunnedah 2A Solar Farm, located on Wandobah Road – a 5MW, 12ha solar facility located within a 49.6ha site. According to the company’s website, the Gunnedah and neighbouring Boggabri and Narrabri solar farms – which also feature 5MW capacity each – are currently under development.

Another 154MW solar project also exists on Orange Grove Road near Gunnedah and is operated by Canadian Solar.

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