Australia’s biggest solar farm on the Western Downs in Queensland will enter construction phase in July, providing a major boost for regional renewable energy jobs.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the new solar farm will be built near Chinchilla, generating up to 400 jobs and 400MW of renewable energy.
“The best thing we can do to support Queensland jobs is to support investment in our state,” the Premier said.
“Today we’re announcing support through CleanCo to unlock hundreds of jobs on the Darling Downs.”
Deputy Premier Jackie Trad said 320MW of its output will be sold to Queensland’s new publicly-owned generator, CleanCo.
“As our economy emerges from the worst impacts of COVID-19, we need projects ready to go that will create jobs and stimulate spending, especially in regional Queensland,” Ms Trad said.
“By partnering with Neoen, CleanCo will be able to ensure safe and decent working conditions are provided on this project.
“CleanCo’s power purchase agreement enables Neoen to proceed with its Western Downs Green Power Hub project.”
The new solar farm will form part of Neoen’s Western Downs Green Power Hub, which will connect to the electricity grid via a new overhead line to publicly-owned Powerlink’s existing Western Downs substation.
Neoen Australia’s Managing Director, Louis de Sambucy said the company was looking dorward to work with CleanCo on one of its first renewable energy projects in Queensland.
“We are 100 percent committed to delivering this landmark deal by making the most of the region’s abundant solar resources, the use of cutting edge bifacial solar panel technology, and our experience in delivering ground-breaking solar farms on time and on budget,” Mr de Sambucy added.
According to Neoen, first generation is anticipated for the first quarter of 2022.
Image credit: https://westerndownsgreenpowerhub.com.au/
