A DELEGATION from China will arrive in the city on Thursday to discuss a solar power project in Tamworth.
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Mayor Col Murray was “very hopeful” the proposal would get up and said it came as a direct result of negotiations held in China over the last 12 months.
“It's a company we were introduced to when John Sommerlad and myself went over there last year,” Cr Murray said.
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“We were introduced to them by NSW DPI (department of Primary Industries) officers in Shanghai.
“Paul Bennett and myself met again with them in Shandong a couple months ago in a follow-up visit.
“It comes down to the relationship, they had some ambition to invest in Australia into alternative energy and we were in the right place at the right time, we were looking for investment into the city.”
The talks will be held the same company, Tongyu, which sought to lease council land near the airport for a large scale solar project earlier this year.
Initially, the company wanted to lease the site for 25 years, however, council knocked-back the proposal because it deemed the parcel of land had a higher value catering for the future growth of the airport.
Cr Murray said there was set to be discussiosn about solar projects on a different parcel of council-owned land and some private land.
Council has been working with the proponent since the initial set-back to find a suitable way forward.
The mayor said it would be a boon for Tamworth if it came-off.
“If the project comes to fruition, it will one of the largest projects in the region,” he said.
While it’s a pay-off from the recent investment trips to China, Cr Murray said it was also about meeting the community demand for alternative energy, which was registered loud-and-clear in recent strategic consultation.
“It’s certainly higher on our agenda,” he said.
“In the last consultation for the 10-year community strategic plan, the community suggested, in fairly strong terms, the desire to do more in the alternative-energy field.”
The mayor said this was just one of the projects on the boil which had coma about as a result of investigating investment in China.
“This is just one thing, there are a number of things we’re working on,” he said.
“These project have a long gestation time.”