First Solar has awarded contracts to Perth-based construction company WBHO Civil for structural and electrical work at Australia’s largest solar energy plant, near Nyngan in New South Wales.
The project is being constructed as part of a joint venture with Probuild Civil, which is owned by WBHO Australia.
The structural package involves pounding more than 139,000 posts, setting up tilt brackets and structural tables, as well as installing more than 1.3 million solar panels on the 250-hectare site.
The electrical package will focus on trenching more than 40 kilometres of cable, with multiple banks of cable, to connect all solar panels responsible for supplying 102 megawatts of energy back to the purpose-built substation.
"A significant environmental focus has been placed on the project and the team is working closely with First Solar and local ecologists to deliver a complete greenfield turnkey project on time and budget,” WBHO Civil managing director Will Grobler said.
“Given that this plant will be 10 times bigger than the largest solar plant currently in Australia, this project demonstrates that utility-scale solar has become a proven source of power generation in Australia today.”
WBHO Civil had been contracted to do site preparation at the plant earlier in the year, which included the logistics and mobilisation of all site facilities, waste water systems and potable water supply.
In addition to the completed works, WBHO Civil said it would instal security fencing, construct the site compound and laydown areas for delivery of solar panels, and complete the road network and parking areas.
“With major mining and infrastructure projects across Australia slowing, to be the tier 1 contractor on this project demonstrates our ability to be a flexible company and our ability to satisfy our client’s needs across a wide genre of infrastructure works,” Mr Grobler said.
The company said the Nyngan solar power plant was expected to generate about 233,000MW hours of clean, renewable electricity each year, powering about 34,000 homes and reducing greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to removing 53,000 cars from the road.
The plant has expected completion date of mid-2015.
