Wee Waa $30m solar farm proposal by Overland Sun Farming

Overland Sun Farming says if approved, the 55-megawatt facility would create up to 80 full-time jobs during construction and three full-time jobs during its operation.

The 880-hectare site is located 3.5km south-east of Wee Waa, and would have approximately 165,000 PV solar panels.

In documents submitted to the NSW government, Overland Sun Farming points to climate data from the Bureau of Meteorology, which shows the site has an average of eight to night hours of sunshine a day, with an average of 99 cloudy days.

“The Narrabri Shire region experiences a consistently high availability of solar radiation, and is therefore ideal for large-scale solar development,” the document states.

“The final number of PV solar panels within the development footprint will be dependent on detailed design, module type and availability, and commercial considerations at the time of construction.”

The farm would connect to the grid via a nearby Essential Energy transmission line, or the company’s Wee Waa substation. The lifespan of the project would be “in excess of 30 years, depending on the nature of solar PV technology and energy markets”.

When the solar farm reaches the end of its lifespan, it would be decommissioned and the site returned to its pre-existing land use.

Construction is expected to take approximately nine months.

Overland Sun Farming has also put forward its plan for a $120-million 110-megawatt solar farm at Gunnedah, which would create 80 full-time construction jobs and three full-time operational jobs.