Renew Economy:

A 200MW South Australia solar project that proposes to add “one of the largest” batteries in the Southern Hemisphere should be under construction by Christmas, after its developers snared a power purchase agreement with major utility, Alinta Energy.

The deal, announced on Thursday, locks in finance for the $480 million Solar River Project, which is being developed by Jason May and Richard Winter near Robertstown, in South Australia’s mid-north.

May, who says this moment has been two years in the making, would not disclose the financial details of the 15-year PPA, but told Renew Economy that the deal with Hong Kong-owned Alinta was for 75 per cent of the solar farm’s output, making the project “very bankable.”

Solar River, which May says has been in the conceptual phase for a good deal longer than two years, is a substantial project, integrating 200MW of PV and a 100MW/300MWh battery under one generation license.

Exactly who is supplying the battery is not being disclosed yet, either, but May does say it will come from one of the largest companies in the world, and use “cutting edge,” never before deployed technology.

May says the energy storage system, billed in the joint press release as “one of the largest batteries in the Southern Hemisphere” will have a three-hour charge cycle, and will be cycling one to two times a day, depending on the needs of the network.

More: Alinta signs up for huge solar and battery project in South Australia