The Wooderson Solar Farm is located approximately 40km south-west of Gladstone and 20km west of Calliope, in Central Queensland within the Gladstone Regional Council Local Government Area. You can view a map of the project location on the project website: https://woodersonsolar.com.au/the-project

This year the energy market has changed in Queensland. Due to an increase in rooftop solar and to coal-fired power stations retiring later, solar farms in Queensland are often unable to generate during the middle of the day and are likely to run at a loss.  The BESS allows the energy generated during the middle of the day to be stored and delivered to the grid in the evening and/or early morning peaks.

BESS units are designed to contain fire which is then allowed to burn itself out. The fire at the Bouldercombe Battery Project was described by Queensland Fire and Emergency Service as a ‘low intensity fire’.  No water was used and QFES remained on site to monitor the temperature of nearby exposures (other containers) and the air quality.  After two days of electrical checks, 38 of the 40 containers were reconnected to the grid.

Regarding air quality, the toxicity of a BESS fire is similar to a house fire, with most of the toxins coming from the plastics used in casings in the BESS containers.  Those plastics are basically the same as used in homes in furniture and appliances.

In addition to the specialised design of the containers, Wooderson Solar Farm will also have fire breaks between containers and other infrastructure and a bushfire management plan to mitigate and manage any fire risks.

If you’re interested in learning more about fire risk and renewable energy projects, you can read about it here: Do large-scale renewables pose a fire risk to communities? - Energy Fact Check

The project team has commissioned consultants to prepare a Bushfire Management Plan, which has been used to inform the design of the Project. This report will be provided to Council with our development application submission. Prior to construction, an updated Bushfire Management Plan and Fire Management Plan will be prepared to manage fire risks during the construction and operational period. These documents will be prepared in consultation with relevant authorities including Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) and rural fire services.

All relevant legislative requirements and management measures will be implemented to minimise any fire risk associated with the Project.

CQP is committed to developing a benefit sharing program for the Wooderson Solar Farm to enable benefits from the Project to be shared with project neighbours and the wider community, including Calliope. More information will be available as engagement on the Project continues.

CQP will undertake a Transport and Traffic Impact Assessment that will be submitted as part of the development application. For the construction phase, a comprehensive traffic management plan will be prepared and implemented to ensure safety and minimise impacts to residents and business near the transport route.

We anticipate that this would include no heavy vehicle movements through school zones during drop-off and pick-up times. Over-size/over-mass movements would most likely occur outside of usual business hours to ensure the impact on surrounding communities is limited. During normal operations, movements to and from site will be by light vehicles. Heavy vehicle movements will be few and far between.

CQP is working closely with landowners to understand what further opportunities could be harnessed to allow for coexistence with the Project. The land is currently used for cattle grazing, which would likely be displaced within the parts of the site used for solar farm infrastructure for the life of the Project. However, cattle grazing will remain part of the land use for portions of the site not being used for the solar farm, and our design will actively encourage and allow for these activities. The solar farm will not affect farming operations on neighbouring properties and the Project will not have any long-term effect on the agricultural potential or land use of the site, beyond the life of the solar farm.

Solar panels are designed to withstand hail. Solar panels are tested according to standard IEC61215 for hail test. This is a mandatory test and is done by firing a 25mm ice ball at the glass side of the solar panel to simulate the impact of a hailstone. In the unlikely event that the solar panels are damaged, CQP’s project insurance would cover the replacement of any damaged solar panels. The materials used in solar panel manufacture are highly chemically stable and do not react to exposure to air or water. We use high quality solar panels, warrantied for 30 years.

Currently, CQP is a joint venture between RES and Energy Estate. RES Australia is owned by RES Limited: the world’s largest independently-owned renewable energy company headquartered in the United Kingdom with offices in Australia. RES Australia develops, constructs, and manages wind, solar, and energy storage projects in Australia. Energy Estate is a privately owned Australian company, involved in projects in Australia, New Zealand and internationally.

At this point in time CQP haven’t entered into an agreement with an energy off-taker: a company that agrees to purchase a specific amount of energy from CQP, either before or after the Project is built. CQP will update the community once an energy offtake agreement is in place.