After a five year campaign led by the local community Premier Jay Weatherill and the South Australian Government have committed to making solar thermal with storage happen in Port Augusta. Building solar thermal in Port Augusta brings 24 hour solar power to SA, creating hundreds of regional jobs, cuts pollution and puts downward pressure on electricity prices.

For over five years the Port Augusta community and people across South Australia have called on Premier Jay Weatherill to back building solar thermal with storage in Port Augusta. The SA Government has backed solar thermal with storage in Port Augusta by signing up to purchase power from the project. Here’s what it means for South Australia:

24 Hour Solar Power

Solar thermal uses a field of mirrors to shine the sun’s light to the top of a tower, heating molten salt which is stored and used to power a steam turbine delivering solar energy when we need it, day and night.

New Jobs
Building solar thermal in Port Augusta will create 650 jobs during construction and 50 ongoing jobs in Port Augusta using similar skills that were required at the coal station that closed in May 2016.

Action on Climate Change
Building solar thermal in Port Augusta will make South Australia less reliant on dirty, polluting gas-fired generators. The project will remove as much pollution as taking 200,00 cars off SA's roads.

Cheaper Power for SA
Building solar thermal in Port Augusta will make SA less reliant on gas generation - and it’s gas that is to blame for skyrocketing power prices in our state. Solar thermal will increase competition in the electricity market and help make South Australia’s electricity cheaper over time, wiping 90 million dollars off bills across the state.