Large-scale Solar Site Selection

Crown Land Options

19 November 2015

Richard Denham (GIS component by Paul McDonald)

richard.denham@dpi.nsw.gov.au

9338 6782

1. Introduction and context

For the Solar Flagships project in 2009-10

the site selection criteria were translated into

GIS Shape files (using ARC GIS)

– by Paul McDonald (DPI spatial analysis policy officer)

• Most of these layers are now available

using the new national web-based

Network Opportunity Mapping Project

• The Solar Flagships data may help to

locate suitable Crown land sites

2. Western Division

Many site of interest are likely to be in the

Western Division.

• In many cases sites will be privately held

Western Lands Leases

• Grazing leases would generally be

preferred to cultivation leases

• The proponent would need to negotiate

purchase with the leaseholder and

negotiate with DPI-Lands to subsequently

convert the lease to a different lease-type

and purpose

Western Division (continued)

• The Western Lands Commissioner is the

planning consent authority in the

“Unincorporated area” (the zone that is not

part of any local government area)

• In the case of Crown Reserves the potential

for use as part of a large-scale solar

proposal will depend on:

• What the reserve purpose is

(compatibility with that purpose /

potential to change the reserve purpose)

• Who is the reserve trust manager

Freehold

650,000ha (2%)

National Parks

1.4M ha (4%)

Crown Land

30.5M ha (94%)

Crown

Leases/Licences/P

ermissive

Occupancies,

108,000, 0.5%

WLLs, 30,000,000,

98.5%Reserves, 360,000,

1%

Tenure Overview (2007 figures)

Urban Business

185 (3%)

Urban General

1786 (26%)

Not Yet Finalised

87 (1%)

Rural

4751 (70%)

Western Division

Land Tenure

Crown Land

in the

Western

Division

Western

Lands

Leases

(6809)

National Parks

1.4M ha (4%) Freehold

650,000 ha

(2%)

Crown Land

30.5M ha (94%)

Urban General

1786 (26%)

Other

87 (1%)

Rural

4751 (70%)

Western Lands

Leases

30.5M ha (98.5%)

Reserves

360,000 ha (1%)

Crown Leases/

Licences

108,000 ha (0.5%)

Urban Business

185 (3%)

3. 2010 Solar Flagships Site Selection Data

• Solar exposure (intensity)

• Sunshine hours

• Major towns (customer base)

• Slope (less than 4%)

• Property area (200 ha minimum)

• Tenure type

• Aboriginal land claim status

• Transmission lines of different capacity (330

Kilovolt and 66 Kilovolt etc.)

• Substation locations

• Gas pipelines (backup for solar thermal projects)

Sample Map – Solar flagships data

4. Broken Hill Solar Farm Case Study

Together with the Nyngan, the two sites

formed the successful Solar Flagships project

• AGL approached the leaseholder and

negotiated an options agreement; and

subsequently full purchase of the grazing

lease

• By agreement with the Western Lands

Commissioner (under delegation from the

Minister), AGL surrendered the Western

Lands lease (grazing lease) and was issues a

commercial lease under section 34A of the

Crown Lands Act 1989 on the same day.

• The lease agreement included an initial

holding rental rate which applied until the

plant was operational

• After commissioning the lease agreement

was based on a rate per MW generated or a

small percentage of gross revenue (which

ever was the greater)

NB: A Western Lands lease is a lease in perpetuity and (since

1982) is recognised by the LPI as a fully tradeable form of land

title.

5. Crown Lands Legislation White Paper

The Crown land legislation framework has

been under review for sometime and in

October a “White Paper” was released.

• It is a summary of issues and the

Government response (to the review and

stakeholder submissions)

• New consolidated legislation and the

repeal of various existing Acts is proposed

http://www.lpma.nsw.gov.au/crown_lands/comprehensive_review_of_nsw_crown_land_management

6. Questions

Warning – Crown land tenures can be complicated

(detailed checks with regional staff are advised

before making any commercial decisions)!

• More specific analysis of potential sites

• GIS analysis (using Solar Flagships data)

• Searches and regional analysis (reserve

management arrangements; Aboriginal land

claim status etc.)

• Further negotiation of lease costs and

conditions (Western Lands Commissioner

or the Group Director Regional Services for

rest of the State)