Aurora Solar Thermal Power Project
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| Aurora Solar Thermal Power Project | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Country | Australia |
| Location | South Australia |
| Coordinates | 32°12′S 137°36′E / 32.2°S 137.6°E |
| Status | Proposed |
| Construction cost | A$650M |
| Operators |
|
| Solar farm | |
| Type | Flat-panel PV |
| CSP technology | Solar power tower |
| Power generation | |
| Units cancelled | 1 |
| Nameplate capacity | 70–400 (proposed) |
| Annual net output | 495 GW·h (planned) |
| Storage capacity | 1,200 MW·he (cancelled) |
| External links | |
| Website |
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Aurora Solar Thermal Power Project was a planned solar power tower solar thermal power plant to be located north of Port Augusta in South Australia. It aimed to generate 150 MW of electricity upon completion in 2020, with storage capacity sufficient for up to 8 hours of full power operation. The facility was projected to produce 495 GWh of electricity annually and was to be situated 30 kilometres (19 miles) north of Port Augusta at Carriewerloo Station.[1]
On April 5, 2019, South Australian Energy Minister Dan van Holst Pellekaan announced the cancellation of the project.[2]
Then premier of South Australia, Jay Weatherill announced in August 2017 that construction would begin in 2018 and was expected to be completed in 2020. It was expected to cost A$650M to build, including a A$110M loan from the Federal Government. SolarReserve had a contract to supply all of the electricity required by the state government's offices from this power project.[3]
The plant received formal development approval from the state government in January 2018. At that time, finance was not yet all in place, but SolarReserve still anticipated starting construction in mid-2018 and taking 650 workers two and a half years to build it.[4]
On 5 April 2019, South Australian Energy Minister Dan van Holst Pellekaan announced that he had been contacted by SolarReserve who said the project would not be going ahead.[5]