A major step forward in the West Murray Zone was achieved
with the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) granting registration for the
RWE Renewables-owned Limondale 1 a 220-megawatt alternating current (AC) solar photovoltaic
(PV) farm, located near Balranald in south-west New South Wales.
In April 2020, AEMO lifted the generation constraints on
five West Murray solar PV farms with the successful implementation of a new solution
to voltage oscillations, which was developed in close collaboration with
industry. This allowed AEMO to progress assessments of new generation projects
in the West Murray Zone.
AEMO’s Chief System Design & Engineering Officer, Alex
Wonhas, said that Limondale’s registration is another milestone towards unlocking
new generation in the West Murray Zone.
“AEMO congratulates RWE Renewable in achieving registration
for the Limondale 1 solar PV farm and recognises the company’s collaborative and
responsive approach through the connection process to registration,” he said.
“While the West Murray Zones presents very challenging network
conditions, the collective efforts from across the industry and TransGrid in
working with AEMO is helping address these emergent grid performance and
stability issues,” he said.
The Limondale solar PV plant consists of Limondale 1 and 2,
which includes of approximately 872,000 panels and an export capacity of 249
MW AC.
RWE Renewables Senior Asset Manager, Peter Veljkovic, said: “Limondale
Solar Farm would like to acknowledge the hard work of all parties involved to
achieve this significant milestone.
“The hard work, collective effort and collaborative approach
utilised by AEMO and TransGrid, throughout this process, has been fundamental
in achieving registration.
“Limondale Solar Farm thanks all those involved especially the site construction teams and our advisors and suppliers all of which have been crucial in achieving this milestone,” he said.