Donna Jones
Greek multinational Mytilineos Energy & Metals are investing in Munna Creek with a new solar energy complex planned for construction over the next two years.
The company has a strong focus on sustainability and plans to make the Munna Creek facility a dual purpose complex as both a solar farm and sheep grazing property.
The Munna Creek complex isn’t the first Australian project, with Mytilineos currently holding six sites, located in New South Wales and Queensland.
From July construction work will begin in the Munna Creek area, with the clearing of two titles of land that are currently cattle grazing properties.
Spread across an area of 400 Ha (1000 acres), the Munna Creek Solar Farm will produce 120MW of green power, roughly enough to power approximately 30,000 homes.
The chosen site for the solar farm already has a high voltage powerline easement running across the property, so the solar farm will be able to be constructed and connected directly to the existing overhead power line infrastructure, removing the need to create new transmission lines.
A spokesman for the project said the single lane timber Kunst Bridge crossing Munna Creek is close to the solar farm site and most likely will need to be replaced with a modern bridge that will be capable of carrying heavier loads.
“The Solar Farm site has already been predominately cleared of vegetation and currently supports cleared agricultural land dominated by pasture grasses and low density individual native woody species including gum species such as Queensland Blue Gum, Silver-leaved Ironbark and Spotted Gum,” said the spokesman.
He said the site doesn’t have significant native fauna or flora species due to the fact it has for numerous decades been cleared for grazing purposes, but they will continue to provide shelter and habitat for native migratory bird species that their environmentalists have discovered periodically fly over the site on their way to and from summer roosting sites on the nearby coastal mud flats.
He said four existing dams on site will provide native animal habitats and suitable water for dust controlling water trucks during the construction phase.
With the bulk of the land already cleared, Mytilineos is keen to graze Dorper sheep, predominantly used for meat, and the company spokesman said these will help maintain a safer environment against bush fire hazard as they feed on the natural fodder.
For more information on Mytilineos and the Munna Creek Solar Farm head to the website at www.mytilineos.com