Shell gets approval for 250 MW Australian solar project
Shell has received approval for a 250 MW solar power plant in Queensland, Australia. The Delga Solar Farm project has been approved by the Western Downs Regional Council and will connect to the national grid through an existing substation. Shell will make a final financial assessment before deciding whether to proceed with construction. Queensland has had a number of solar projects approved recently, with the Australian Clean Energy Finance Committee backing 200 MW of PV projects this year. The new farm would be the eighth approved by the council.
A 250 MW PV plant in Queensland has received approval from local authority Western Downs Regional Council. The project is proposed by oil giant Shell, who will make final financial assessments and ultimately decide whether or not to go ahead with construction.

The proposed project, Delga Solar Farm, would be the eighth PV plant approved in the Western Downs regional, according to the local council, and is set to be located 25 kilometers south of the town of Wandoan.

The council state that Delga Solar Farm would be able to connect to an existing substation, allowing energy to be fed into Australia’s National Grid, and that the construction phase would create up to 800 jobs, with 10 full time positions for the subsequent operation of the plant.

“We’ve fully embraced the future of renewables and energy production in our region, and we welcome the proposal of Shell Australia onto the solar energy scene in Western Downs,” says Mayor Paul McVeigh. “This interest from a leading multi-national energy company to invest in renewable energy in our region is a great boost to the Western Downs’ already impressive energy portfolio.”

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Other partners in the project have not been revealed at this stage, however, in July Shell invested an undisclosed sum of money in Singapore based PV developer Sunseap, and the two stated plans to partner on ‘a number of utility-scale projects in the Asia-Pacific region’.

Queensland has seen some major investments in PV throughout 2017, with the Australian Clean Energy Finance Committee backing 200 MW of projects earlier in August.

“This project marks the eighth solar farm approved by the Council,” continues Mcveigh, “demonstrating our goal to become the energy capital of Australia.”