The beautiful logo is by local artist Freya Job
The Project
Braidwood and its surrounds
are connected to the electricity grid via a high voltage line from Captains
Flat. This line runs overland and if it gets broken, our community ceases to
have power until it is repaired. This line was nearly broken in 2023 when a cement
truck ran into one of the poles between Braidwood and Captains flat but could
also be severed due to hazardous weather or bushfires. The town of Cobargo
knows this all too well, as the 2019-2020 bushfires destroyed the poles and
wires and left them without power.
Braidwood Clean
Energy Inc. is working with EDP Renewables Australia (EDPR), a developer of town scale solar
farms, about making our community more resilient and less vulnerable to grid
outages. Since the fires, EDP Renewables has been helping Braidwood to be more resilient
by building a ‘microgrid’ which will mean that if they are disconnected from
the grid, they can operate independently.
EDPR is seeking funding from ARENA, Australia’s
renewable energy agency, to create a microgrid for Braidwood as well. This
microgrid will consist of a 5MW solar farm and a community scale battery (5MW/10MWh) to provide
the town with uninterrupted electricity in the event of future grid
outages.
Public Meetings
BCE and EDPR held two Public meetings on 19 March 2026 to explain the current status of the project with over 50 people attending the two sessions.
The presentation given by EPPR can be found here.
Development Application for the project is open for public consultation
The DA for the ‘Construction of a solar
farm, battery energy storage systems, landscaping and associated site works’ at
873 Wallaces Gap Road, Ballalaba NSW 2622 is now open for public consultation
until 15 April 2026.
The DA application is being managed by QPRC
staff but will be assessed through the Regional
Significant Development (RSD) assessment process and decided upon by the
Southern Regional Planning Panel.
The DA application number is DA.2026.0113 and
can be found here.
Braidwood Clean Energy will be making a
written submission in support of the Development Application.
Anyone may make a written submission
concerning the development application during the exhibition period.
If the
submission is an objection to the proposal, the grounds for objection must be
clearly stated.
Please note, all submissions will become
public documents and may be included in the QPRC staff reports, published on QPRC’s
website and/or discussed at meetings.
You can make a submission by:
· Going to: https://yourvoice.qprc.nsw.gov.au/development-applications-on-notification (for an online form).
·
Emailing council@qprc.nsw.gov.au
·
Mail to PO Box 90, Queanbeyan NSW 2620
·
Delivering in person to either the Queanbeyan, Braidwood or
Bungendore office