FAQs

ACE Power and Osaka Gas Australia are pursuing development approval for a 110 MW utility-scale solar farm battery energy storage system (BESS) located 10km north of Forbes and 21km southeast of Parkes, NSW.

The Forbes Solar Farm received Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements (SEARs) in July 2024 and is now in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) phase of the NSW state significant development (SSD) application process.

Technical assessments are currently being undertaken and will be comprised within the EIS. Once complete, the EIS will be submitted to the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI). It will be placed on public exhibition for a minimum of 28 days for community and agency comment. A Response to Submissions Report will be completed following the exhibition period addressing comments received. Following this, DPHI will determine the outcome of the project.

As a State Significant Development (SSD), the Forbes Solar Farm will be reviewed by the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI).

NSW has a roadmap to reduce emissions by 70% by 2035 compared to 2005 levels and increase NSW’s uptake in renewable energy generation. This statewide initiative will create 6,300 construction and 2,800 ongoing jobs in regional Australia and will reduce electricity prices in the state by $130 per year for households, $430 for small businesses and reduce NSW’s carbon emissions by approximately 90 million tons (NSW Government 2020).

Currently, the renewable energy penetration in NSW is 53% (Energy NSW 2024), which includes large-scale solar, rooftop solar, hydro power stations, wind, and biomass power stations.

Careful consideration is needed to select the most appropriate site for a solar farm. There are many factors to consider including access to the electricity grid, current land use, environmental impacts and proximity to residents.

It is important to acknowledge that solar panels do have a visual impact on the landscape. A visual impact assessment (VIA) will be undertaken within the EIS, which will work to determine the visual impact of the solar farm. ACE Power will work with the local community and surrounding landholders throughout the process to ensure that the visual impact is minimised or mitigated where possible.

The primary function of PV panels is to absorb sunlight rather than reflect it. The technical process in manufacturing PV panels includes anti-reflection, hydrophobic layers that minimise the potential for sunlight reflection. CASA has approved projects close to the airport reporting that more glare is expected from the local waterways and the sun itself.

There is currently no documented evidence of land devaluation related to solar farms in the area. As part of the EIS phase, we will prepare impressions for our neighbours to understand what the future outlook may be should the project be approved.

As part of the EIS process, a detailed noise assessment will be completed for both the construction and operation phases of the project.

During the anticipated 18 months of construction, vehicles would range from light vehicles to 26-metre b-double trucks. Light vehicles would arrive during AM/PM peaks with heavy vehicle deliveries spaced out during the day. Operational traffic is thought to be negligible with a maximum of two one-way vehicle trips per day, and an average of two to four one-way trips per week.

ACE Power will endeavour to reduce the impact to the community as much as practicable, but some impacts are to be expected.

Solar panels pose very low fire risk and rarely cause fire independently. ACE Power will adhere strictly to a Code of Conduct substantially in line with the Clean Energy Council’s Best Practices Charter, as well as other regulations, including fire safety.

We will work closely with the RFS to confirm access requirements for the solar farm if there is a bushfire that moves into the area, or if a fire starts in the solar farm. If successful, a Management Plan will be produced prior to construction commencing that will include a Fire Management Plan to address the management of potential fires in construction, operations and decommissioning.

ACE Power has engaged expert consultants who will undertake flora and fauna surveys to understand the ecological characteristics of the site. ACE Power is committed to minimising impacts on native flora and fauna by designing the project to allow species to continue to thrive during the construction and operation phases. During these phases, management plans will be developed to ensure this compliance is maintained.

Preserving and protecting Cultural Heritage is a priority for the Proposal and ACE Power is committed to adhering to all legislation to achieve this. An Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Assessment (ACHA), which includes field surveys, is required as part of the application process. This will include rigorous community engagement with Registered Aboriginal Parties and other community members throughout the community engagement process to ensure due diligence and maintain strong relationships and respect with First Nations peoples and cultures. 

At the end of life, the solar panels will be removed and decommissioned. The land will be rehabilitated and returned to its original use. The decommissioning process is a critical part of the development application process, and a decommissioning plan must be included for the development to be considered.

The solar farm will create jobs and increase local revenue for local services such as food, lodging, construction materials and tourism for the local area. Estimated job numbers are approximately 120 full-time equivalent (FTE) construction jobs at peak construction, and approximately 3 FTE operational roles. A community benefit scheme will also be established as part of the project.

The use of electricity in daily life exposes us to low-frequency electromatic fields (EMF) and are not considered a risk to human health (NSW Government 2022). EMF from solar arrays is typically less than household appliances and are not distinguishable from background levels at the site boundary.

Your kitchen stove has an EMF range of 2-30 milligauss (mG) and your hairdryer 1-70mG. Standing at the edge of a transmission powerline easement would be in the range of 10-50mG, and under a transmission powerline 20-200mG. The current international standard for human exposure to limit EMF set up the International Commission of Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) is 2000mG (NSW Government 2022).