Queensland withdraws $77M funding for 250MW PV project

The Queensland government has recalled AU$75 million or US$77 million in funding for a 250MW solar thermal project in Chinchilla.

The government argued that the project’s consortium was given a deadline until June 30, 2012 to reach financialclose but that did not happen.

The Solar Dawn project has been in development by a consortium of companies selected by the Queensland government in June 2011 and it was part of the Australian Solar Flagship Program.

The government funding was supposed to amount to a total of AU$539 million. The entire project is estimated at a cost of AU$1.2 billion.

“The Solar Dawn project offers Queensland the opportunity to be at the forefront of solar thermal technologyand home to one of the largest solar power stations in the world. These opportunities have to be grabbed butthe Queensland Government seems content to let them slip by. The Queensland Government is putting at jeopardy aproject that represents $1.5 billion in economic investment to regional Queensland, 300 construction and localmanufacturing jobs and a $68 million solar research and development program at the University of Queensland,” said Australian Minister for resources and energy, Martin Ferguson.

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