Solar plus battery storage sets SA up as electricity exporter

Massive new solar photo voltaic farms linked to big battery storages are setting South Australia up to be the country’s electricity generating export powerhouse.

The generators, around Robertstown in the mid-north of the state, aim to take advantage of a new $1.5 billion electricity connector which will allow them to send power directly to the eastern states.

The Solar River project was the first to receive approval – in this case for a 200 MW solar PV power plant, and 120 MWh of battery storage.

In the past week approval was given for a a $1.1 billion investment to build 500 MW of solar PV and a massive 250 MW battery storage.

This is 2.5 times the size of the nearby Tesla big battery at Hornsdale in the lower Flinders Ranges.

the latest project will be be built by NSW’s Energy Projects Solar in stages.

These plants are on top of the $1 billion Sanjeev Gupta has committed to build solar power plants to power his Whyalla steelworks, situated nearby at the top of Spencer’s Gulf.

Gupta’s Liberty steel is building the Cultana solar farm which will produce 280 MW of power will include 780,000 solar panels.

Gupta is also planning the Playford Utility Battery at Port Augusta and the Middleback Range Pumped Hydro Project on Eyre Peninsula.

Picture: Whyalla steelworks

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