The winner of a contract to build a huge solar farm in Queensland for the aptly-named zinc metals producer Sun Metals has been announced.
The Sun Metals Solar Farm will be built by RCR Tomlinson Ltd and initially have a total capacity of 98.5MWac; with an option to expand to 116MWac. One million solar panels will be used for the project, which will cover up to 130 hectares.
The solar farm will be connected to Sun Metals’ existing 33/132kV substation via a 33kV overhead transmission line and supply power to the Sun Metals Zinc Refinery.
RCR Tomlinson says the project will commence immediately, with onsite construction slated to begin in April 2017 and completion scheduled for the first quarter of 2018.
“Once competed, this solar farm will be one of the largest solar farms in Australia and will create around 250 jobs during peak construction,” said RCR Managing Director & CEO, Dr Paul Dalgleish in an ASX announcement.
“We look forward to delivering this significant project for Sun Metals and working with the local community in Townsville.”
The Sun Metals Zinc Refinery is located 15km south of Townsville’s CBD. Sun Metals is a subsidiary of Korea Zinc Company Limited, which produces 10 per cent of the world’s zinc from plants in Korea, the USA and Australia.
Sun Metals says it puts a high priority on environmental management and is regarded as the world’s most environmentally responsible producer of low-cost quality zinc product.
Townsville is becoming a hotbed of large-scale solar PV activity. Earlier this year, Townsville City Council approved a development application for a $250 million solar farm to be constructed on a disused mango farm in the Upper Ross district, approximately 20km south-west of Townsville’s CBD.
Comprising 450,000 photovoltaic modules, that facility will generate enough clean electricity to meet the power needs equivalent to 50,000 households.
Townsville enjoys significant solar energy resources, receiving solar irradiation levels of around 5.73 kilowatt hours per square metre daily. In terms of small and commercial scale solar, there are approximately 1,357 installations in Townsville’s postcode, with a collective estimated capacity of 5996 kW.
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