- Latest News
Council scrutinises latest solar project offer
A proposal to develop a large-scale solar project within the Whyalla Industrial Estate has been discussed by Whyalla City Council.
The council received a request from business developer Adam Hammond seeking to lease land for a large-scale solar farm project on broad-acre land adjacent to the Whyalla Industrial Estate and substation.
While the council is supportive of solar farm development, it was unable to grant Mr Hammond’s request at a recent special council meeting, as much of the land he is requesting is already subject to lease arrangements with other solar proponents.
Whyalla mayor Lyn Breuer said while the overall scale of Mr Hammond’s proposal was appealing, it failed to address key considerations, including existing undertakings, which impacted upon the council’s ability to approve the request.
“The council is currently in negotiations with a number of parties wanting to lease land for separate solar farms in the same area Mr Hammond is requesting access to,” Ms Breuer said.
“Negotiations with these parties are more advanced than those with Mr Hammond, and reneging on these negotiations has the potential to expose the council to serious challenges, including the possibility of the other parties opting to do their business elsewhere.”
The council has made land available for the development of renewable energy projects within Whyalla as part of its strategy to encourage more environmentally sustainable development to the city.
The council is currently coordinating the associated technical survey and leasehold tenure arrangements in parallel with the project planning being undertaken by the proponents.
The steps for each proponent are complex and require extensive liaison and agreement with the state government for development authorisation, long-term leasing and agreement to connect into the power grid.
The council has adopted and followed a land use allocation strategy to help manage the demand for solar sites, evident over the past months.
“The council believes renewable projects have the potential to play a large part in the local economy, particularly during construction, and it is working progressively to ensure we can provide the means for interested proponents to set up their projects in Whyalla,” Ms Breuer said.