100 MW Mildura Power Station Project suspended

Silex Systems has announced that plans for the Mildura Power Station Project, located in Carwarp in Victoria, have been suspended. The decision, which followed a joint review by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and Silex subsidiary Solar Systems, was based on factors including low wholesale electricity prices and the uncertainty surrounding the Renewable Energy Target.

“After careful consideration of project economics, we have decided to reassess plans for the Mildura 100 MW Solar Power Station,” said Silex CEO and Managing Director Dr Michael Goldsworthy. “Since we launched the 1.5 MW Mildura Demonstration Facility in June last year, we have captured a great deal of useful data and are now investigating alternative opportunities to build on the outstanding work already achieved at the Mildura site.”

Solar Systems is exploring options to further develop the Mildura site on a smaller scale and will continue discussions with ARENA and the Victorian Government regarding potential funding support for its concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) ‘Dense Array’ dish technology and other possible Australian-based projects.

“We believe that concentrated photovoltaic technology has a strong future in delivering clean, low-cost energy to supplement base load power in many suitable regions around the world and we continue to assess deployment of our unique Dense Array dish technology in prospective offshore markets,” Dr Goldsworthy said.

The project suspension sees the termination of $75 million in conditional funding from ARENA and $35 million in conditional funding from the Victorian Government under the Energy Technology Innovation Strategy Fund. ARENA CEO Ivor Frischknecht has said the agency “remains open to considering any new or revised project opportunities that are ready for testing and demonstration”.