Image: Jinko Solar

The Australian government has granted approval for the Garoo solar-plus-storage project, a 1,440MWh hybrid renewable energy facility being developed by Jinko Power Australia, the regional arm of Chinese solar manufacturer JinkoSolar.

Located around 40 km south of Tamworth in New South Wales, the project will combine a 134 MW solar PV plant with a 360 MW / 1,440 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS). The development is being delivered in partnership with Sydney-based developer Bright Path Renewables.

Spanning 306 hectares of primarily cleared agricultural land, the facility will host approximately 234,000 solar modules and is expected to generate around 380 GWh of renewable energy annually.

The BESS will be positioned at the northern end of the site near Garoo Road, while the solar PV arrays will be split into two sections, divided naturally by Tamarang Creek.

The project was submitted under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act in June 2025. The federal EPBC Act ensures that developments protect nationally threatened species and ecological communities, and approval is required before construction can begin.

Construction is slated to start in late 2026, with an 18-month build and commissioning timeline, and the facility is expected to operate for approximately 30 years, with full operations commencing in 2028.

The Garoo Solar Farm will connect to the National Electricity Market (NEM) via an existing 330 kV overhead transmission line, minimising the need for additional grid infrastructure.

Situated in a rapidly emerging renewable energy region, neighbouring projects include Total Eren’s 780MWh Middlebrook solar-plus-storage facility, about 10 km north, and Venn Energy’s 1,200MWh Lambruk solar-plus-storage project.