Epuron plans to establish Tasmania’s largest solar farm in Wesley Vale, Tasmania. It will provide sufficient clean, renewable energy for 2,900 homes and help diversify Tasmania’s power generation mix. The solar farm will connect to the nearby Wesley Vale substation and supply renewable power to the National Electricity Market (NEM).

Project Details

Wesley Vale solar farm is expected to have a generation capacity of up to 12.5 megawatts (a.c.) and occupy an area of around 35 hectares. A 22 kilovolt powerline will connect the site to the adjacent Wesley Vale substation located across Mill Road from the site. The project is intended to be built in stages, and may include energy storage in the future.

The project will use standard, flat solar photovoltaic (PV) modules (commonly used on residential rooftops) attached to either ‘fixed’ or ‘tracking’ mounting frames. Tracking frames adjust through the day to ensure that the modules are always facing the sun, and increase their energy output.

Location

Wesley Vale is located on the sunny northern coast of Tasmania, an ideal location for a solar energy project.  The solar farm will be located approximately 2.5km north of the town, off Mill Road. The site is ideal as it is flat and clear, with good access to the existing road network and adjacent substation. The land has previously been used for grazing, and as a result the project is expected to have limited negative environmental impacts.

Benefits

Wesley Vale solar farm will help diversify Tasmania’s energy mix and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from electricity currently imported from Victoria via Basslink. By generating up to 25,600 Megawatt-hours per annum the project could save emissions from fossil fuelled power stations of around 27,900 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per annum.

The solar farm will also benefit the local economy, creating a significant number of jobs during construction and the potential for additional jobs during operation. Flow on effects will benefit a range of local businesses including through provision of accommodation, food, fuel, groceries and other needs for the life of the project. Epuron aims to maximise use of local skills and services to deliver this project so please contact us if you have something to contribute.

Community Engagement

Epuron is keen to engage with local stakeholders and members of the community throughout the development application process. This will help ensure that local issues are well understood and considered in progressing this project, and the project delivers tangible benefits to the community.

At this stage Epuron has prepared its initial site concept and is seeking input and feedback from the community while carrying out detailed planning and environmental impact assessment. We will shortly lodge our development application to Council which will be publicly exhibited, allowing a further opportunity for communtiy input.

Feedback

We welcome your thoughts on this project and invite you to contact Epuron’s Project Manager for the site, Shane Bartel, or our office via the details below.

We are especially keen to hear of local businesses who could benefit from the project, any opportunities related to the site which we may have missed, and any concerns.

You can subscribe to emailed project updates via our website.