Gilgandra is being primed as a destination for green energy with a proposed solar farm undergoing the correct approvals before construction can start on the outskirts of town.

The community has been warned not to get too invested, however, with a preceding solar farm planned for the area still awaiting similar permissions. 

The solar farm, which was proposed around six months ago by ITP Development, will be located on 11.3 hectares west of Gilgandra.

Gilgandra Shire Council Mayor Doug Batten said that while it would be an asset to Gilgandra, it could be a case of the ‘cart before the horse’.

“We had a previous development that went through the planning process. It’s a number of years ago now but they have yet to get approval of Essential Energy to feed into the grid,” Mayor Batten said. 

Mayor Batten believes that outside of development approval, this could be another lengthy process that could hinder the progress of the newly planned solar farm. 

While council is seemingly in favour of the development, Mayor Batten said it is out of their hands. 

“It’s a regionally significant development, and so it goes to what they call the Regional Planning Panel. At the moment, the application is currently before that panel,” Mayor Batten said. 

The solar farm will feature a five megawatt station and have a 35 year lifespan. The station will include batteries, offering 24 hour electricity. 

While the construction phase has the potential to build local employment, Mayor Batten said that there isn’t enough longevity in the roles to be a major factor for the town. 

“They say there’ll be up to 50 people employed during the construction phase, but once it’s operational it’ll just have minimal maintenance staff that visit the site, perhaps once a month,” he said. 

“From an employment point of view, there’s not a real long term development in there, but there is certainly benefit from the green energy,” Mayor Batten said. 

According to Mayor Batten, the only real source of hesitancy from the community stems from those neighbouring the land where the solar farm will be built. 

“The location of the solar is next door to a residential designed subdivision. Some of the residents there have raised questions in regards to dust and traffic disturbance during the construction phase,” he said. 

The solar farm will be located on the corner of Aralee and Warren Roads.