News

Yancoal Australia’s proposed Stratford Renewable Energy Hub (SREH), to be located in the Gloucester Valley approximately 95km north of Newcastle in NSW, has progressed in the approvals process with the state planning authority placing it on public exhibition.

The project includes a pumped hydro energy storage project with 3600 MWh capacity, nominally 300 MW over a 12-hour cycle, and an initial 320 MW AC solar farm.

The SREH would be developed on and adjacent to the Stratford Mining Complex (SMC) on Yancoal-owned land.

The pumped hydro component will utilise the mine's existing dams and water stocks as a lower reservoir and backup water supply and storage. The upper reservoir would be constructed in elevated topography to maximise the height difference relative to the lower reservoir.

The behind-the-meter solar farm facility will provide a portion of the energy to recharge the pumped hydro during daylight hours when there is excess renewable electricity already in the grid. Power would also need to be imported from the electricity grid to fully charge the PHES.

Connection will be into an existing Transgrid 132kV transmission line.

The SMC is an existing open cut coal mining operation which began operating in 1995 and is scheduled to finish this year.

Yancoal said its SMC team is now focused on ongoing active rehabilitation, closure and potential future beneficial post-mining land uses, as well as looking at diversification opportunities including the development of renewable energy projects.

With an estimated capital investment value of $1.8 billion, the SREH represents one of the largest capital projects in the Gloucester Valley. It’s expected to create 350 construction jobs, 10 ongoing operational jobs and increase local supply and flow-on economic effects in the region.

The SREH EIS will be open for submissions until late this month.

(Project concept representation by GHD)