The announcement follows extensive discussions with the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) on options to move the project forward in response to dynamic market conditions.

“With ARENA soon to embark on a range of new initiatives, we look forward to sharing our experience and working with ARENA to help build Australia’s clean energy future,” stated Consortium spokesperson Anthony Wiseman.

For more information, please contact enquiries@solardawn.com.au.

Project Director Anthony Wiseman said that while the project delay is a set-back, the Consortium will pursue discussions with the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and the Queensland Government to move Solar Dawn forward based on the project’s advanced status and the strong economic and environmental benefits it offers to the state and the country.

“Solar Dawn is well-positioned to bring large-scale solar power to the forefront of energy production in Australia and help realise Queensland’s potential as a world-leading producer of more efficient, reliable and renewable energy,” Mr Wiseman said.

“It represents a $1.5 billion economic investment in Queensland, delivering 300 construction jobs, local manufacturing and a $68 million solar research program for The University of Queensland,” he added.

The Consortium reported significant progress in other areas of the project with Development Approvals received from the Western Downs Regional Council for the power plant site and assembly facility and the contract finalised with The University of Queensland for the research and development program.

“Solar Dawn is offering something incredibly promising – benefits previously not available within the Australian renewable energy industry. There are various options to move Solar Dawn forward, and we are committed to making the project successful,” Mr Wiseman said.

Project Director Anthony Wiseman said that while the project delay is a set-back, the Consortium will pursue discussions with the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and the Queensland Government to move Solar Dawn forward based on the project’s advanced status and the strong economic and environmental benefits it offers to the state and the country.

“Solar Dawn is well-positioned to bring large-scale solar power to the forefront of energy production in Australia and help realise Queensland’s potential as a world-leading producer of more efficient, reliable and renewable energy,” Mr Wiseman said.

“It represents a $1.5 billion economic investment in Queensland, delivering 300 construction jobs, local manufacturing and a $68 million solar research program for The University of Queensland,” he added.

The Consortium reported significant progress in other areas of the project with Development Approvals received from the Western Downs Regional Council for the power plant site and assembly facility and the contract finalised with The University of Queensland for the research and development program.

“Solar Dawn is offering something incredibly promising – benefits previously not available within the Australian renewable energy industry. There are various options to move Solar Dawn forward, and we are committed to making the project successful,” Mr Wiseman said.

The on-line tool forms part of Solar Dawn’s stakeholder engagement and information program, and follows the second round of community consultation sessions held in Chinchilla, Kogan and Dalby earlier this year.

The well-attended sessions gave Western Downs residents and businesses the chance to obtain an update about the Project’s status and learn more about the benefits and opportunities that it will bring to the local area.

The project will become the largest in Asia and will help advance India’s goal of adding 20,000 MW of solar energy by 2022.  It will result in the avoidance of approximately 557,000 tons of CO2 emissions per year compared to a similar sized coal-fired power plant.

Under the contract, AREVA will build two 125 MW CSP plants using its Compact Linear Fresnel Reflector (CLFR) technology and will provide construction management services for the project. The first phase of the project is under construction, with a target commercial operation date of May 2013. The solar power plants will be located in Rajasthan.

AREVA CEO Luc Oursel stated: “AREVA is delighted to help deliver on the promise of India’s progressive solar energy goals and to advance Reliance’s bold vision for a global clean energy portfolio. We will leverage our best-in-class experience to help make India and Reliance global solar industry leaders. Following our success in the French wind offshore sector, this contract reinforces the AREVA strategy in renewable energies.”

The Reliance contract solidifies AREVA Solar’s position as a leading global supplier of CSP solutions for large-scale standalone power plants, power augmentation of fossil-fired power plants and solar hybrid applications, and follows on a series of successes. This project also further strengthens and diversifies AREVA’s low-carbon energy hub in India.

In total, AREVA Solar currently has more than 500 MW of CSP projects in operation, under construction or in advanced development, making AREVA one the fastest-growing CSP technology providers.

The research program will be managed by The University of Queensland (UQ), a leading university with an internationally respected energy research portfolio.

Supported by the Federal Government’s Education Infrastructure Fund and the Solar Dawn Consortium, the research will examine detailed features of plant design and performance. It will also investigate new technology development in areas such as hybrid cooling and thermal energy storage.

The University of Queensland’s Professor Paul Meredith says the program has been designed to support the early operation and commissioning of the proposed Solar Dawn plant, whilst providing long-term benefits to the Australian solar community.

“Initially, the research will help us establish Solar Dawn as an innovative, world-leading facility,” Prof Meredith said. “After that, we’ll set up a merit-based scheme to provide the broader research community with access to the Solar Dawn infrastructure.”

The research aims to help develop critical capability in solar thermal technology, including new intellectual property and understanding, as well as highly trained engineers, scientists, economists and social policy experts.

“In Australia, this level of expertise is probably limited to the CSIRO and the Australian National University – and it’s embryonic in Queensland,” said Prof Meredith.

“We hope the quality of the infrastructure and research program will fuel additional investment from national and international sources. This will build on the initial investment in Queensland and maximise the direct economic benefit to our state.

“The clean energy agenda and the renewable energy agenda are absolutely critical for Queensland, and for the nation as a whole.”

The Solar Dawn Consortium has recently received conditional Development Approval from the Western Downs Regional Council for the temporary solar assembly facility to be built on the Solar Dawn site.

The facility will be responsible for the assembly of more than 35,000 reflectors, which will be installed in Solar Dawn’s 200 hectare solar field. Approximately 50 people will be employed at the assembly facility,

Solar Dawn’s Development Manager Andrew Dickson says that the location of the temporary assembly facility will minimise the impact on the surrounding community.

“The solar field essentially consists of a very large number of modular components, which are assembled from materials including fabricated steel and glass sheets. By assembling these modules on site using advanced robotic manufacturing equipment, we will minimise the volume of traffic to site and will enable material handling efficiencies.”

The socio-economic analysis, recently completed by global consulting firm the AECgroup, confirms the project’s potential economic, social and environmental contribution.

Solar Dawn will strongly support employment and training, providing an average of 300 jobs each year during the three-year construction phase (2012 – 2015), peaking at 450 jobs. A further 30 permanent jobs would be created during the 25-year operations and maintenance phase.

The AECgroup study also details Solar Dawn’s important contribution to Queensland’s economy, with approximately $1.5 billion of direct investment and indirect economic activity in the Queensland economy during construction alone.  The project also represents more than $560.4 million in gross value-added activity and $338.5 million in wages and salaries over the next three years. During its 25-year operation, it will yield a further $92.4 million in total output per year.

Solar Dawn Project Director Anthony Wiseman said AECgroup’s estimates are based on assumptions in the proposed financial model.

“These are expenditure estimates only, including engineering, procurement, and construction. So they’re not the full project development spend and they don’t account for a possible ‘solar cluster’ developing in the Western Downs region, which would bring even greater advantages,” Mr Wiseman said.

“Along with the substantial economic activity generated, Solar Dawn will contribute associated state taxes, levies and duties during construction.  This will all help towards the Queensland Government achieving its goal of a budget surplus by 2015.”

The proposed 250 megawatt solar thermal power plant is also expected to bring about wider financial benefits through industry diversification and local industry participation.

“Solar Dawn will extend Australia’s industry capability, providing valuable and transferable skills for local residents and suppliers,” Mr Wiseman said.

“It will build on the success of the Kogan Creek Solar Boost Project, which is currently under construction. Solar Dawn will involve the work of many Queensland businesses, including local manufacturing, construction, supply and support activities in the Western Downs Region.”

Alongside these benefits, Solar Dawn also provides the opportunity to undertake a targeted research project with The University of Queensland.

“Ultimately, the experience, profile and knowledge we gain from this project will rightly establish the ‘Sunshine State’ as an international leader in solar thermal power generation.”

The consortium is continuing to advance the development and commercial closure of its Project, as part of its detailed design and development stage.

Development Manager Andrew Dickson said it’s timely to update the community on a number of project changes and the achievement of several significant milestones over the last few months.

“Solar Dawn is progressing well, with the Project recently receiving a time extension from the Commonwealth Government and the Consortium signing a conditional agreement with the Queensland Government for $75 million in project assistance,” Mr Dickson said.

Late last year, the Consortium also received Development Approval from Western Downs Regional Council for the construction of the solar thermal plant, whilst the decision to defer installation of gas infrastructure was also announced.

Chinchilla, Kogan and Dalby locals will be provided with detailed information regarding the Project’s status and next steps at upcoming information sessions:

Monday 20 February
Chinchilla RSL, 61 Heeney Street Chinchilla
4.00pm – 7.00pm (display from 4.00pm and presentation 6.00pm) 

Tuesday 21 February

Kogan Memorial Hall, High Street Kogan
7.00am– 8.30am (display from 7.00am and presentation 7.30am – 8.00am)

Dalby RSL, Drayton Street Dalby
4.00pm – 7.00pm (display from 4.00pm and presentation 6.00pm)

Local residents and businesses are invited to receive a Solar Dawn update and to learn about recent project changes and milestones at three upcoming community information sessions.

The sessions to be held this month will provide interested stakeholders in and around Chinchilla, Kogan and Dalby with the latest information about the proposed 250 megawatt solar thermal power plant.

Session times are:

Chinchilla: Monday 20 February
Chinchilla RSL, 61 Heeney Street Chinchilla
4.00pm – 7.00pm (display from 4.00pm and presentation 6.00pm)

Kogan: Tuesday, 21 February
Kogan Memorial Hall, High Street
Kogan 7.00am– 8.30am (display from 7.00am and presentation 7.30am – 8.00am)

Dalby: Tuesday 21 February
Dalby RSL, Drayton Street Dalby
4.00pm – 7.00pm (display from 4.00pm and presentation 6.00pm)