Riverina Oils & Bio Energy Solar Farm
Project overview
Riverina Oils & Bio Energy (ROBE) is a bulk canola oil supplier, running a state-of-the-art fully integrated oilseed crushing and refining plant.
Committed to making a sustainable switch for its operations, ROBE is now powering its daytime operations with solar energy.
Project details
The Riverina Oils Energy Project is a 100% Flow Power owned solar farm located in Bomen, NSW, within the agricultural hub of the Riverina Region.
Flow Power undertook the development, design, procurement and engagement of all major works contracts, and will continue to manage a retail agreement with ROBE.
The project includes 2.8 MW of solar PV and a 2.6 MVA inverter to provide direct behind the meter electrical supply to the neighbouring ROBE manufacturing plant, via an underground 11 kV feeder.
Energy intensive operations powered by 100% solar
Built in 2013, ROBE’s crushing and refining plant has an annual crushing capacity of 200,000 tonnes of oilseed.
Every year, the plant has the potential to produce over 80,000 tonnes of high-quality refined vegetable oil for the food industry, and 120,000 tonnes of premium canola protein meal for the poultry, dairy and animal feed industry.
To make this possible, ROBE requires a significant amount of energy – so making the switch to 100% solar energy has significantly reduced the carbon intensity of its operations.
Operational as of September 2024, this project is one of the largest behind the meter installations to a manufacturing operation in Australia.
This was made possible through detailed power system studies with the local DNSP, incorporating multiple reactive power units and a dual 11 kV supply to the facility.
The Riverina Region is a food bowl but produces an abundance of agricultural waste; from nut shells and cotton trash to grape marc and prunings.
There’s a push to repurpose this agricultural waste and use it as a source of biomass, adding value to farm produce that would normally go to waste, while providing an additional revenue stream for farmers.
ROBE continues to explore the bio energy potential of a closed loop vegetable oil system that leads to a more sustainable future for its canola crushing business.
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