Canberra clears 360 MW Sundown solar and battery project in NSW

The federal government has approved a 360 MW solar farm with a 150 MW / 600 MWh battery in northern New South Wales, clearing the last major regulatory hurdle before construction can begin. Recurrent Energy said its Sundown project, planned for the New England region southwest of Inverell, received approval under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act.

The approval lands on top of an already stacked permitting record. The NSW Independent Planning Commission signed off on the project in August, and the Australian Energy Market Operator granted grid connection approval under clause 5.3.4 of the National Electricity Rules in April.

What does the project look like on the ground?

The site covers 525 hectares about 30 kilometres east of Inverell, inside the New England Renewable Energy Zone. Recurrent will install roughly 660,000 PV panels delivering 360 MW of generation capacity.

The co-located battery energy storage system adds 150 MW of power and 600 MWh of storage. The project connects to the National Electricity Market through the existing 330 kV transmission line that already crosses the site — a detail that removes the need for new long-distance grid infrastructure.

Once operational, Recurrent expects the facility to generate enough electricity to meet the average annual needs of about 176,000 households. The company says the integrated storage will support peak demand periods and strengthen grid stability.

"Sundown Solar Farm will play an important role in providing stability to the NSW electricity network," Recurrent said. The company plans to sell the output to "one or more registered energy retailing organisations, large energy users or to the NEM."

What happens next for construction?

Recurrent has not yet released a construction timeline. The company anticipates the build will support approximately 300 jobs at peak construction.

The federal approval marks the transition from development to execution, but the project remains announced rather than under construction until Recurrent confirms a start date and contractor lineup. The next milestone to watch is a financial close or construction announcement from the developer.

Where does Sundown sit in Recurrent's portfolio?

Sundown joins an expanding Australian and global pipeline for Recurrent, the utility-scale solar and storage platform of solar manufacturer Canadian Solar. The company has completed development of about 11 GW of operating utility-scale solar projects and 5 GWh of energy storage across six continents.

Its development pipeline now holds approximately 21 GW of solar and 76 GWh of battery storage.

In Australia, Recurrent's delivered assets include:

• the 150 MW Carwarp Solar Farm in northwest Victoria
• the 100 MW / 200 MWh Mannum BESS in South Australia, now owned by Epic Energy

The company is also developing the 100 MW / 200 MWh Panorama Battery project near Bathurst in western NSW.

What does the EPBC approval change?

The decision closes the federal environmental review phase for Sundown and leaves no outstanding major regulatory barrier on the path to construction. With state planning consent, AEMO grid connection approval and EPBC clearance all secured within roughly eight months, the project now moves into delivery — and the market signal to watch is Recurrent's construction schedule, which the company has yet to publish.