Middlebrook Solar and BESS Project Moves Forward in Australia

TotalEnergies SE has received approval to proceed with its Middlebrook solar and battery project in New South Wales, Australia. The project, with a capacity of up to 320 megawatts (MW), will be located 22 km south of Tamworth in the New England region. The Australian government determined that the project does not require further environmental assessment under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act. This follows conditional approval from the state’s Independent Planning Commission (IPC) in November.

The solar farm will be connected to an existing 330-kV transmission line through a new onsite substation. It will also include a battery energy storage system (BESS) with a capacity of 320 MW and 780 megawatt-hours (MWh). Construction is expected to take between 18 and 24 months, with operations planned to begin in 2027.

Australia has several smaller renewable energy projects that are not widely reported. The Wandoan South Solar Project in Queensland has a 9 MW solar farm providing energy to local industries. The Wallaroo Renewable Energy Hub in South Australia is a hybrid project with a 5 MW solar farm and a 10 MWh battery storage system.

In Victoria, the Beaufort Wind Project consists of three wind turbines generating a total of 6 MW. The Moora Agricultural Solar Trial in Western Australia integrates a 4 MW solar system with irrigation infrastructure for farms. The King Island Wave Energy Project in Tasmania is a 2 MW facility testing wave power generation in remote coastal areas.

These smaller projects contribute to energy generation in different regions and support local industries and communities. Australia continues to expand its renewable energy capacity through both large and small-scale initiatives.