Bomen Solar Farm near Wagga Wagga in NSW has been delivering clean energy to over 360,000 homes and even the Sydney Opera House since mid-2020.
Construction began in June 2019, with All Energy Contracting (AEC) selected to complete underground electrical works using AEC equipment on the 250-hectare site. Two high-pressure gas pipelines traverse the site, requiring AEC to liaise with owners of the gas infrastructure, APA Group, who supervised the work. APA Group was impressed with the quality and safety of the work completed by AEC’s Civil and Electrical personnel when installing cables below the looping pipeline.
AEC also worked directly with property owners to ensure minimal disruption during construction.
Originally assigned underground reticulation works, AEC was also awarded 25 percent of piling work to address quality issues and accelerate project schedules.
AEC works were completed by early October. Mechanical completion on the 100MW solar project was achieved in 6 months, by late January and energisation and commissioning was completed late February 2020.
Despite challenges presented by rocky terrain, the pipelines and the emergence of COVID-19, construction on behalf of Beon Energy Solutions and various subcontractors, including AEC, was completed in just 9 months and on budget.
150 local jobs were created in construction of the solar farm, with community members comprising 78% of the 157 employees in the mechanical team. The project also recruited those typically underrepresented in the industry, including First Nations people and women.
Today, more than 310,500 bi-facial solar panels are installed on horizontal single axis trackers which allow electricity to be generated from light reflected to the back of each panel. 44 inverters are also installed on site.
Meanwhile, sheep are grazing beneath the panels, supporting multiple uses of the land.
The $180 million solar farm is expected to generate annual revenues of approximately $13.5 million per annum on average for the first five years, with Westpac Banking Corp and Flow Power contracted to supply electricity to customers such as the Sydney Opera House, Sydney’s Ascham School and industrial group Molycorp among others, via those contracts.
Since Bomen was delivered, AEC has collaborated with Beon Energy Solutions on 6 projects across Australia and New Zealand.