<P> The Australian Government, under the Clean Energy Initiative and the Solar Flagships Program, will invest $1.5 billion in up to 4 large - scale solar power generation projects . The Program will aim to create an additional 1000 megawatts of solar power generation capacity in Australia . The largest solar energy project currently operating anywhere in the world is only one third of that size . </P> <P> Australia has a small but long established solar hot water industry . </P> <P> Liddell Power Station, New South Wales has a concentrating solar thermal adjunct to the coal - fired power station . It was designed by Solar Heat & Power Pty Ltd, now part of AUSRA </P> <P> Cloncurry, Queensland is to be the site of a 10 MW power station using 8,000 mirrors to reflect sunlight onto graphite blocks . Water pumped through the blocks will be turned into steam to power a conventional steam turbine connected to a generator . The estimated cost is AUD30M of which the Queensland government has committed AUD7M . On 24 May 2012 the recently elected Newman government announced the withdrawal of state funds for the project . In a statement the Minister for Energy Mark McArdle described the reason for the scrapping as' saving the taxpayer's money' . </P>

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