Public input sought for USD-260m solar-storage hub near Darwin

The government of Australia's Northern Territory has launched public consultations on a proposal to set up a renewable energy hub consisting of around 200 MW of solar parks with battery storage on the outskirts of Darwin.

The plan will be presented to the community, businesses and key stakeholders. The collected feedback will be used for the final project design and facilitate taking a final investment decision, the government said on Wednesday.

Submissions will be accepted by February 28, 2025.

The Darwin Renewable Energy Hub, as it is called, envisages the construction of six large-scale solar parks with a combined capacity of between 180 MW and 210 MW and a battery energy storage system. The complex will be sited within a 940-hectare area of Crown Land and near existing network infrastructure, not far from a local industrial hub. The generated electricity is planned to be fed into the Darwin-Katherine grid.

The project is set to create around 500 jobs during the construction and operation phases. The government estimates that more than AUD 400 million (USD 260m/EUR 245.5m) in local supply chain spending will be brought into the Territory as the hub is being constructed.

Subject to a final investment decision, the project’s implementation is expected to run from 2025 to 2030.

(AUD 1.0 = USD 0.649/EUR 0.614)

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