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Construction complete on Australia’s largest solar farm

Construction completed on Australia’s largest solar farm

Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk visited Australia’s largest solar farm, located in Queensland’s Western Downs region, with over one million solar panels. 

The 400MW Western Downs Green Power Hub has the capacity to power the equivalent of 235,000 Queensland homes and is connected to the Queensland SuperGrid by a new 275kV line built by Powerlink.

Located near Chinchilla, the Queensland state government’s publicly owned CleanCo Queensland has signed a power purchase agreement with owners Neoen for 80 per cent of the power generated at the site.

The completion of panel installation will allow the final testing and commissioning phase of the project to begin to get it to full capacity.

Construction of the project has also delivered a huge boost to Queensland’s regional economies, with an estimated $800 million in economic activity.

The solar farm is another major investment towards delivering 70 per cent renewable energy by 2032 under the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan.

“Queensland is leading the charge with renewable power so it’s no surprise that the sunshine state is now home to the largest solar farm in the country,” Palaszczuk said.

“Our government has made it clear that Queensland homes will be powered by renewable energy from solar farms just like this one through the SuperGrid.

“I’m pleased we can deliver clean, reliable and affordable energy to every Queenslander because we own our power lines and the majority of power generation.”

Louis de Sambucy, managing director of Neoen Australia said, “We are delighted to have completed the panel installation of the largest solar farm in Australia at Western Downs, and we’re excited about the strong contribution that this asset will make to Queensland’s rapidly accelerating energy transition.”

CleanCo CEO Tom Metcalfe said, “The renewable energy generated by the Western Downs Green Power Hub will supply some of CleanCo’s biggest customers including Coles and BHP.

“Projects like these complement CleanCo’s portfolio of fast ramping, flexible gas and hydro generators to provide our customers with 24/7 reliable clean energy.

“We are proud to support renewable energy projects like the Western Downs Green Power Hub that deliver great local employment opportunities and economic outcomes in regional Queensland.”

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