FAQs

Who are Reach Solar and have you developed renewable energy projects before?

Reach Solar Energy is a solar PV and energy storage development company based in Melbourne, Victoria.  Reach developed the Bungala solar project located near Port Augusta in South Australia.  The Bungala project will have a total capacity of 300MWac. Stages 1 and 2 of Bungala having a combined capacity of 220MWac are constructed and generating electricity. Stage 3, 80MWac.

How big is the project and what this means to number of panels?

The Yarrabee project is designed to be up to 900MWac of solar PV generation and 35MW/70MWh of battery energy storage system, that makes it the largest approved solar PV project in NSW.  The project is to be developed in phases, to match commercial arrangements for contracting the generated capacity.  Current staging of the project is for two phases of 450MWac, the first phase to be developed in two stages of 225MWac each.

What impact will the project have on local traffic?

Whilst renewable energy solar projects are mainly comprised of light weight construction materials, the scale of the Yarrabee solar project means there will be a continuous supply of equipment and materials to the site during its construction.  The projects development consent issued by the NSW Minister of Planning requires the submission and approval of a formal transport management plan (TMP) prior to onsite construction starting.   The TMP will be carefully planned and implemented to ensure impact on the local community is minimised.

It is expected the Project will generate between 40 to 60 heavy vehicles and between 10 to 50 light vehicle movements per day.  This estimate of vehicle generation depends on the projects construction duration and staging and is only likely to be experienced over short periods of time.  Once operational, the heavy vehicle traffic generation of the project would be limited.

The Development Application consent conditions allow for 50 heavy vehicle movements per day during construction.

Where will the power go?

Yarrabee Solar is a large scale, grid connected renewable energy solar facility.  This means that all power generation will be sold into the National Grid System via the existing 330kV transmission line which borders the project site. The customers for the energy will likely be large electricity retailers.

Will there be any Environmental Impacts?

By design, Solar PV facilities are not associated with environmental emissions.  However, as part of the planning application, all aspects of environmental impact were examined and presented in the “Environmental Impact Study”. The conditions of consent to the planning application have addressed any environmental impacts and established requirements for the development of any necessary mitigation measures.

Will there be any positives for the community?

It is expected that the phased construction will last about 4 years, during which time it is expected a peak workforce of up between 450 to 600  people will be employed on the site. These staff will be employed by various sub-contractors. Due to the logistics of getting to and from the site, it is expected a large number of the construction team will be accommodated within Narrandera and other local towns. The increase in activity within Narrandera is expected to be positive, bringing increased spending across a number of social sectors.