CDM Smith Helps Gain Development Application for Solar Farms in South Australia

Adani seeks to leverage its strong renewable capability in India (where it has completed the world’s largest single location solar farm (648 MW) to build its presence in the Australian renewable energy market. Their subsidiary, Adani Infra­struc­ture, lodged a development application with the State Government of South Australia for a $200 million solar farm located to the north of Whyalla. The plant will generate up to 160 MW of electricity, making it one of the largest solar farms in South Australia.

CDM Smith was responsible for managing the project approvals which included a number of baseline environment studies, developing a stakeholder engagement strategy and preparing compre­hen­sive referral and approval docu­men­ta­tion for submission to both the State and Common­wealth Governments. CDM Smith’s extensive experience in project envi­ron­men­tal studies and permitting proved valuable in developing the required information and docu­men­ta­tion to meet regulatory and stakeholder expec­ta­tions. This provided a smooth assessment process and allowed Adani Infra­struc­ture to move the project ahead to assist the State Government with meeting its renewable energy ambitions. 

Adani Infra­struc­ture have now received development approval for the Whyalla Solar Farm from the Australian Department of Planning, Transport and Infra­struc­ture, and are planning to begin construc­tion this year. CDM Smith is proud to have been involved in this exciting project and helping to build Adani Infra­struc­ture’s growing renewable energy portfolio.

CDM Smith provides lasting and integrated solutions in water, environment, transportation, energy and facilities to public and private clients worldwide. As a full-service engineering and construction firm, we deliver exceptional client service, quality results and enduring value across the entire project life cycle.