Sundown solar and battery project clears federal environmental approval

Overview

Updated 1 hour ago

The Sundown solar and battery project has federal environmental approval. The decision, signed October 23, 2026, allows Recurrent Energy to build a 360-megawatt solar farm and a 150-megawatt battery about 30 kilometres east of Inverell in northern New South Wales.

The federal sign-off follows state development consent granted by the NSW Independent Planning Commission on August 4, 2026. Together they clear the project's main regulatory gates. They do not commit the developer to build: no construction start, final investment figure or completion date has been published.

Why it matters

Approval turns years of planning into a buildable project, but construction now depends on an investment decision the developer has not announced.

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Key Indicators

360 MW

Solar capacity

Approved solar farm size; federal approval documents cite 350 MW.

150 MW

Battery power

Maximum discharge capacity allowed under the state consent.

600 MWh

Battery storage

Four hours of storage at full discharge.

133

Objections lodged

Objections received during the state planning process, mostly from distant locations.

2066

Federal approval expiry

The federal environmental approval remains valid until the end of 2066.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

People Involved

Sarah Dinning

Chair, NSW Independent Planning Commission panel

Chaired the panel that approved the project on August 4, 2026

Michael Wright

Member, NSW Independent Planning Commission panel

Voted to approve the project with conditions

Kate Gowland

Branch Head, Environment Assessments NSW and ACT Branch, federal environment department

Signed the change of proponent and federal assessment decisions

Organizations Involved

Recurrent Energy

Renewable energy developer

Developer of the Sundown project through subsidiary Sundown SF Subco Pty Ltd

Recurrent Energy, a subsidiary of Canadian Solar, is developing the Sundown solar and battery project in the New England Renewable Energy Zone.

NSW Independent Planning Commission

State planning tribunal

Approved the project on August 4, 2026

The commission determines major NSW development applications referred to it, including projects with more than 50 public objections.

Sundown SF Subco Pty Ltd

Project company

Holder of the state consent and federal approval

The Recurrent Energy subsidiary is the designated proponent and consent holder for the Sundown project.

Timeline

November 2017 November 2026

7 events Latest: Today

Tap a bar to jump to that date

November 2026
Approval reported; construction date still unset
Today Statement

Trade press reports the federal approval. No construction start, investment figure or completion date is confirmed.
Today
October 2026
Federal environmental approval signed
Approval

Federal approval under the EPBC Act is granted, subject to biodiversity offsets and a management plan.
October 23rd, 2026
August 2026
NSW grants development consent
Approval

The commission approves a 360 MW solar farm and 150 MW battery with conditions.
August 4th, 2026
June 2026
Application referred to planning commission
Planning

The state significant development application is referred to the NSW Independent Planning Commission.
June 9th, 2026
April 2026
Federal proponent changed
Regulatory

Sundown SF Subco Pty Ltd replaces Sundown Solar Pty Ltd as the project's federal proponent.
April 29th, 2026
July 2023
Environmental impact statement exhibited
Planning

The project's environmental impact statement goes on public exhibition, closing August 3.
July 2023
November 2017
Scoping report released
Planning

The first scoping report for the Sundown project is released.
November 2017

Scenarios

Recurrent Energy reaches financial close and starts building

Possible Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: Trade press and the project's own planning documents, which describe the next steps as satisfying conditions and finalising construction arrangements

The developer completes its biodiversity management plan, locks in procurement and grid connection, and announces a final investment decision. Site works follow. This is the outcome the approval process was designed to enable, but the company has given no timetable.

Battery capacity increased through a modification application

Possible Resolves by Q2 2028

Discussed by: The state consent itself, which caps storage at 150 MW and 600 MWh but explicitly allows a separate application to raise it

Condition A5 of the consent sets a ceiling on the battery but notes the developer may lodge a new development application or modification to expand it. A larger battery would change the project's cost and role in the grid.

Approval conditions delay construction past 2028

Unlikely Resolves by End of 2028

Discussed by: Planning analysts who note that federal approval does not set a construction date and that biodiversity and road conditions must be met first

The developer must buy and retire biodiversity offsets, win approval for a biodiversity management plan, seal sections of Spring Mountain Road and complete a fire safety study before works begin. Any of these can slip. If they do, the project holds approvals but stays unbuilt.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

1949–1974

Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme (1949–1974)

Australia built a large hydro-electric and irrigation scheme across the Snowy Mountains, with the federal and state governments sharing costs and authority. It required new towns, roads and transmission lines in remote country.

Then

The scheme took 25 years and became a major source of electricity and irrigation water.

Now

It set the template for Commonwealth-state coordination on large energy projects, including the environmental and land-access conditions that now accompany them.

Why this matters now

Sundown is a much smaller project, but it shows the same pattern: federal and state approvals must line up before construction can begin.

2015

Nyngan Solar Plant (2015)

AGL completed a large-scale solar plant near Nyngan in western New South Wales, then the state's biggest solar farm. It was built with government support and connected to the grid in a region with no prior utility-scale solar.

Then

The plant began generating and became a reference point for later NSW solar projects.

Now

It demonstrated that large solar farms could be financed and built in regional NSW, opening the way for the pipeline that now includes Sundown.

Why this matters now

Sundown sits in that later pipeline. Its approval shows how the planning process has become more conditional, with biodiversity offsets and road works written into consent.