Dugald River Solar Farm
Control System Integration
- Mount Isa, QLD
- Allen Bradley ControlLogix PLC; Citect SCADA
- Energy & Renewables (Solar)
Background
APA’s Dugald River Solar Farm (aka Mica Creek Solar Farm) is an 88MW solar PV power project located approximately 7.5km south of Mount Isa, Queensland.
This solar farm is set to power Mount Isa’s North West Province and supports APA’s vision for a world-leading hybrid energy grid in Mount Isa, as well as the company’s aspirations to support the further increase in renewable energy penetration for the region.
The North West region is a significant part of Queensland’s resource-based economy and, with its endowment of new economy minerals, will play an important part in helping propel the boom in emerging technologies.
The Dugald River Solar Farm project was also envisaged to provide a boost to employment and the local economy, employing around 300 people during peak construction, and an ongoing workforce of between 1-5 people.
The solar farm was operational by the first quarter of 2023.
Project Overview
The Dugald River Solar Farm project involved the implementation of a nominal 88 MW solar PV facility including all required mechanical, electrical, controls and civil/structural balancing of the plant.
Scope
Mipac was commissioned to integrate the solar farm with the existing power station distributed control system (DCS) as well as the master load shedding system (MLSS) for the North West Power Grid (NWPS).
Specifically, Mipac:
- Designed, tested and commissioned the Siemens T3000 control system for Dugald River Solar Farm
- Modified the NWPS master load shedding system to incorporate the Dugald River Solar Farm
- Performed integration works at DPS
- Supplied the control panels for the T3000 and MLSS
Timeline
The Dugald River Solar Farm project ran for 12 months, with key milestones including:
Project Challenges
Several challenges were encountered by the Mipac project team throughout this project. These challenges included:
- This project was the first time Mipac had completed work for UGL Limited. As such, it took some time for the team to familiarise themselves with how UGL operates.
- The legacy control system at the power station had incompatibility issues with the current generation equipment that was being integrated. There were also product issues that needed to be worked around, with limited support from the vendor.
- The principal contractor engaged multiple system integrators in the project, which required a degree of coordination.
Project Outcomes
The project was delivered on time and within budget. Specifically:
1
This was the first renewable energy project completed by Mipac. The project was successful and received great client feedback.
2
This project contributed to the switch to renewables in Australia – Dugald River Solar Farm is Australia’s biggest off-grid solar farm for off-grid electricity, covering an area 65 times greater than the playing surface of the Melbourne Cricket Ground
3
This project supported APA in their emissions reduction targets
3
Whilst this project was in a new industry for Mipac, which stretched the skills and expertise of our engineers, it proved that Mipac can successfully deliver a project of this size and in this industry.
Further reading
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