The Aalga Goorlil "Sun Turtle" Djarindjin Community Power Project has received planning approval from the WA Regional Development Assessment Panel, clearing one of the final regulatory hurdles for what will be Australia's first 100% First Nations-owned solar and battery power station.
Community-owned, community-built
The project is being developed by Djarindjin Aboriginal Corporation (DAC), which governs the community of approximately 400 Bardi Jawi people on the Dampier Peninsula, 170 kilometres north of Broome. The solar facility will be owned and operated by a wholly-owned DAC subsidiary, Aalga Goolil Djarindjin Community Power Pty Ltd.
The 3,408 solar panels will be arranged in the shape of a turtle — the Djarindjin community's official symbol and a culturally significant animal for Bardi people. Paired with a 3.25 MW battery energy storage system, the project will supply approximately 80% of the energy needs of both Djarindjin and neighbouring Lombadina. The remaining 20% will come from an upgraded diesel generator operated by Horizon Power.
Over 25 years, the project is expected to reduce carbon emissions by more than 46,000 tonnes.
Self-determination in action
What makes the Djarindjin project exceptional is not just its technical design but its ownership model. DAC has committed approximately $1 million of its own funds to project development, feasibility and approvals, and has secured a conditional $5 million grant from the WA Government's Lower Carbon Grants Program.
Revenue generated by the facility will flow directly to DAC, which plans to use it to grow local employment and training, deliver and subsidise critical services, and reduce the community's dependence on government funding. DAC is already the largest Aboriginal employer on the Dampier Peninsula.
"We're taking all the risk, putting up the front-end costs, and showing real community buy-in. We're taking the lead here, not being told or to accept second or third best." — Nathan McIvor, CEO, Djarindjin Aboriginal Corporation
The power of ownership
Under the proposed model, electricity generated by the Sun Turtle facility will be sold wholesale into the local microgrid under a power purchase agreement with Horizon Power. This positions the community not as a passive customer of the energy system but as a generator and seller of power — a fundamental shift in the relationship between remote Aboriginal communities and the electricity supply chain.
The First Nations Clean Energy Network has endorsed the project as a landmark example of community-led energy development, noting that the assessment panel agreed the infrastructure supports community self-sufficiency and delivers broader benefits including training and employment.
What this means for Kimberley communities
Djarindjin's Sun Turtle project demonstrates that the community ownership model for remote energy systems is not theoretical — it is being approved, funded and built. For other Kimberley communities exploring their own energy future, Djarindjin provides a concrete precedent: a community corporation that undertook its own feasibility work, secured its own funding, negotiated directly with Horizon Power, and retained ownership of the generating asset. The model is replicable, and the planning and regulatory pathway has now been tested.
Construction timelines are subject to finalisation of the power purchase agreement with Horizon Power, but DAC has indicated it intends to move to construction as soon as commercial terms are agreed. When the Sun Turtle begins generating power, it will stand as evidence that remote Aboriginal communities are not waiting to be included in Australia's energy future — they are building it themselves.