Community Newsletter - August 2024
The Maryvale Solar and Energy Storage Project is a next generation renewable energy facility located near the town of Maryvale, 12km North-West of Wellington, which combines the benefits of solar power and energy storage to create cheap, clean, dispatchable and firmed power for New South Wales.
The Project will have the ability to export 172MW of green power into the electricity network thanks to an installed capacity of approximately 240MWp of photovoltaics “DC-coupled” with 350MWh/2 hours of energy storage.
Thanks to the hybrid energy storage configuration, in addition to large volumes of solar energy produced during the day, some of this is also stored for use later! The Project will generate power at max capacity for up to 2 hours outside of daylight hours, helping bring down peak power prices.
The Project is located on approximately 400ha of land, which will continue to be grazed by locally-owned sheep following construction.
View the newsletter in print format, here.
Update on the Project Status & Project Timeline
The Project received Development Consent from the NSW Department of Planning and Environment, and Electricity Network approvals from Essential Energy and the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) in late December 2023.
The Project commenced design and site investigation early works in April 2024.
The Project aims to execute its primary contracts and issue Notice to Proceed to key construction contractors in Q4 2024.
Main construction activities are intended to occur Q2 2025 - Q3 2026, with final commissioning activities occurring from Q4 2026 - Q1 2027.
Next Steps
You may have seen some movement on site recently, as we started doing some early site works.
These early works help our team and partners design the best site possible by undertaking as accurate an assessment of the site as possible. These works began in April 2024 and involved geotechnical studies, such as taking boreholes and pile testing to further assess the ground conditions across site in detail, as well as detailed survey work.
Early site works were largely completed at the beginning of July, although there may be some additional follow up works that occur on an as required basis.
Community Benefits
The Gentari Solar Australia and Maryvale Project Teams are keen to become a valued member of the local community and share the benefits afforded by renewable energy power with the local area. We’re excited to share some of our commitments to the local region, which include:
2025: Major financial contribution to Dubbo Regional Council for use in direct community benefits (details to be released in the near future).
2027: Major financial contribution in 2027 to Dubbo Regional Council to undertake significant bitumen addition and road upgrades in the local Maryvale area (details to be released in the near future).
2027 onwards: Almost $150,000 per year contribution to a local Community Benefit Fund, aiming to directly contribute to local projects and programmes that provide benefits to the community.
2027 onwards: $100,000 per year funding for grants for local businesses involved in building Australia’s local and NSW-based capability to produce goods and value-add to local supply chains involved in the clean energy transition.
2025: ~300-400 full-time jobs expected at peak construction of the site. Significant construction opportunities available for local businesses and industry.
2027 onwards: Multiple full-time positions available as part of the on-site Operations Team that run the plant. Significant ongoing opportunities available for local businesses and industry to become part of our supply chain.
Ongoing: Our commitment to engagement with the local community, industry and environment for the life of the Project.
Local Industry and First Nations Opportunities
Gentari will work with its construction contractors to develop construction participation plans for local workers, including First Nations people and local businesses.
These plans will be developed with the help of community working groups with the objective of maximising local participation during the construction and operation of the project.
Community Information Session
Join us at our upcoming community event to have your say!
Our friendly team will be available to answer your questions and hear any of your concerns about the Maryvale Solar and Energy Storage Project.
When: Thursday, 5 September from 5-7pm
Where: Four Cats Coffee - 33-35 Warne St, Wellington NSW
RSVP: For catering purposes, please click here to RSVP.
We’ve partnered with the team at ‘Four Cats Coffee’ to serve light refreshments and canapés at the event. We hope to see you there!
Project Snapshot
Questions and Feedback
Our aim is to create a positive social, economic and environmental contribution to the region surrounding the project. We aim to be a trusted and respected member of the local community and for our community engagement processes to exceed community expectations.
Our Project Team looking after the Maryvale Solar and Energy Storage Project are all here to assist you with any concerns or questions you may have, please find our contact details below.
Email: community@gentari.com.au
Call: (02) 8405 7963