The firm has also secured more than $7m in grants from the South Australian Renewable Technology Fund to fund the development of the Snowtown North Solar Farm and Battery Energy Storage System Project.
Tilt Renewables CEO Deion Campbell said: “Together, these projects will make a meaningful contribution to the State’s renewable energy and security of supply targets and economic priorities.”
The firm expects to employ approximately 200 people during the 12-month construction period for the Snowtown facility and a further 300 jobs at Highbury project for 30 months.
Planned to be built on the site of a decommissioned quarry in Highbury, the Highbury pumped hydro energy storage project will feature lower and upper reservoirs.
The project pumps water from a lower reservoir to an upper reservoir during periods of low energy prices.
When the power demand is high, the gravity-fed water is released from the upper reservoir through generators and back to the lower reservoir, to generate power.
Campbell noted: “Not only will we be able to support energy security and contribute to reducing power price volatility, we’ll also have the option to open up some of the 350 hectare site for public recreational use with potential for walking trails, picnic areas and outdoor activities.”
Planned to be built alongside Tilt Renewables’ existing wind farms at Snowtown, the $90m Snowtown project will comprise 44MW solar farm and a 21MW, 26MWh battery energy storage system.
The power output from the project will be supplied into the national electricity grid through the existing Snowtown Stage 1 wind farm substation.
Campbell added: “When complete, the new infrastructure will be part of the biggest co-located wind, solar and battery facility in Australasia.
“By combining wind energy (with typically an evening peak at this site) and solar energy (with a daytime peak), the two assets can combine to better match daily electricity demands, with the battery reducing the effect of short term variability from the two renewable generation technologies.”
