Presentation from the NSW Department of Primary Industries on 'Large-scale solar site selection Crown land options'.

1. 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

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

6. 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,
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%)

7. 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)

8. Sample Map – Solar flagships data

9. 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.

10. • 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.

11. 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

12. 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)