The sod has been turned on Narromine’s latest solar farm, as construction begins on the 12-month project. 

Renewable energy company MPower acquired the development rights in 2021 and are now set to deliver a farm no larger than 5 Megawatt on Narromine’s Dandaloo Road. 

“Our Narromine asset is strategically located with the capacity to power more than 1,500 homes…and an estimated equivalent carbon offset of more than nine million tonnes of CO2,” said MPower CEO Nathan Wise. 

In the first year of operations, the project is expected to produce more than 14,000MWh of energy. 

“We welcome all good development in the shire, we have many renewable energy proposals before us at the moment,” said Narromine Shire Council mayor Craig Davies. 

Not every renewable an obvious choice

Despite Narromine being a popular location for new solar infrastructure, bordering the impending Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) has had little impact on locals.

Cr Davies, however, said that the current plans from EnergyCo will see local and regional roads clogged for years to come. 

“If what we’re hearing is correct, there could be 10,000 wind turbines being built across these areas (Central West - Orana and New England). The immediate problem is, how do they get 80 and 90 metre turbine blades to those areas?”

“One of the mayors who is very heavily involved said it will take 10 trucks every weekday for 10 years to get the blades here. They have a lifespan of seven years…before they finish the build they’ll start the replacement phase,” Cr Davies said.  

Other reports have claimed that transporting the wind turbine components will require current infrastructure to be demolished or bypassed over at an estimated cost of $340 million. 

“I think the people who are making these decisions need to think twice about the approach they’re taking, because better technology will emerge in 12 months, two years and in five years,” Cr Davies said.