The Regional Council has given the go ahead for construction of a new 120 MW Fraser Coast solar farm at Munna Creek in Queensland.
The Fraser Coast Chronicle reports that the $200 million project could create about 300 jobs during construction. Additional staff will also be needed after completion for maintenance work.
The project is being developed by Brisbane company REST (Renewable Energy System Technologies), and is scheduled for completion by 2020.
There will be three stages to construction. These are site preparation, transport and installation of the solar panels, and post-completion works such as landscaping and additional drainage.
Fraser Coast solar farm to power 30,000 Queensland homes
It will involve the installation of 500,000 solar panels which should have the potential to power around 300,000 Queensland homes.
Queensland’s climate ideal for solar power
Queensland’s sunny climate is often described as being ideal for both large and small scale solar projects. Several additional solar farms are also currently being developed in the region.
This includes the Susan River solar farm, located between Hervey Bay and Maryborough. This $175 million project will consist of around 350,000 solar panels and have capacity to power 50,000 homes once completed.
The Childers solar farm in the Bundaberg region is also under development. The $210 million project gained approval late last year and involves installing approximately 400,000 PV panels. The facility should have have the potential to provide power to around 65,000 homes on completion.
Another project underway is a 140 MW solar project in Aramara near Maryborough. This solar farm will consist of 500,000 frame-mounted solar panels that will track the sun’s horizontal movement.
Fraser Coast aims to be Queensland’s solar capital
According to Fraser Coast Council Mayor Chris Loft, the region aspires to become the ‘solar capital’ of Queensland.
Mr Loft described the Munna Creek project as a great opportunity for job creation on the Fraser Coast and in the Wide Bay region. He said it will include not only construction and maintenance jobs, but also research and development projects in the field of solar technology.
Mr Loft anticipates that the project will act as a catalyst to attract businesses and university-level research projects to the area.
