About Walla Walla Solar Farm

Walla Walla Solar Farm is an approved new solar development that will increase the amount of clean energy available to customers in NSW and Victoria.

Community interests and concerns have played a fundamental role in shaping the solar farm’s design, particularly the location of infrastructure, environmental management plans and methods for visual screening.

The solar farm will be constructed on private land approximately 4 kilometres Northeast of Walla Walla and approximately 40 kilometres north of Albury in NSW.

The proposed solar farm will consist of approx. 700,000 solar panels installed across the 605-hectare site. The solar farm will have a 300-megawatt (MWac) capacity of clean, renewable energy – enough to power approx. 90,000 NSW homes. The solar farm will be connected to the electricity network via the existing transmission line that runs parallel to Schneiders Road.

Capacity: 300 MWac
Annual Production: 740,000 MWh/Year
CO2 Avoided: 520,000 t/Year
Households Supplied: 90,000 Homes
Surface: 421 Hectares
Construction / Operation Date: Q1 2023 / Q4 2024
System Type: Solar photovoltaic with single axis tracking

Who is developing the project?

  • FRV Services Australia is the owner and developer of the Walla Walla Solar Farm project.
  • FRV welcomes feedback from residents and the broader community with respect to the project, which will be considered as part of ongoing project planning.

    • See our Project Fact Sheet here.

Assessment of the Project

Given its significant potential to contribute to the economic and clean energy priorities of NSW, the Walla Walla Solar Farm is considered a State Significant Development by the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment.

Approval for the project concept was obtained in November 2020 after the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE) referred the project to the Independent Planning Commission (IPC). Both DPIE and the IPC carried out a detailed assessment on the proposal in accordance with detailed environmental, economic and social land use planning requirements, including a site visit. The IPC provided development consent for the proposal, and the final assessment and permit documents can be found here.

Detailed Project information including copies of the solar farm Environmental Impact Statement can be found on the Department’s Planning Portal, please see here.

Project Modifications

During the detailed design of the project, and as a result of ongoing discussions with Transgrid regarding the project’s dedicated substation, FRV was required to propose minor changes to the project. These changes were submitted to the Department of Planning as two separate modifications.

Consent for Modification 1 was received by the Department in March 2022, while Modification 2 was approved in August 2022. These modifications involved changes to:

  • The approved height of project infrastructure
  • Changes to the approved transport route and heavy vehicle numbers
  • Revisions to the site layout

Further details on Modifications can be found here.

Powering the Future

Walla Walla Solar Farm will utilise state of the art solar photovoltaic panels mounted on a horizontal, single-axis tracking system that enable the panels to move with the sun. This technology operates in varying daylight conditions including low light and cloudy weather and is extremely efficient for generating clean electricity with minimal noise, water consumption or waste.

Once complete, Walla Walla Solar Farm is expected to generate for up to 30 years.