Engie Australia’s 250MW Goorambat East Solar Farm has registered with AEMO, marking the project’s readiness for the commissioning phase.
The solar PV power plant entered AEMO’s Market Management System on 30 September. It is located approximately 175km north-northeast of Melbourne, in Victoria’s Hume Region.
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It lies between the regional centres of Shepparton and Wangaratta, will sit on around 630 hectares of land, and will connect to the newly constructed Goorambat East Terminal Station, operated and maintained by AusNet.
As previously reported by PV Tech, Engie reached financial close on the 250MW project in August 2024 before proceeding to begin construction on what it claims is “Victoria’s largest solar PV project” in October.
According to Engie’s project website, the large-scale solar PV power plant is expected to be fully operational by 2027.
The solar PV power plant’s registration with AEMO enables the facility to participate in energy and ancillary services markets across the National Electricity Market (NEM), which spans Australia’s eastern and southern states and territories.
The project will contribute to Victoria’s renewable energy generation capacity as the state works toward its net zero emissions target by 2050 and its interim renewable energy targets.
As part of the Goorambat East Solar Farm project, Engie has committed to providing the local community with AU$75,000 (US$50,000) per year for the project’s lifetime, around 30 years, upon the solar farm’s operationalisation.
Engie has been expanding its Australian operations in recent years, with several projects, such as the operational Willogoleche Wind Farm in Hallett, South Australia, which features 32 turbines with a combined generation capacity of 119MW.
When it opened in July 2019, the facility was described as one of the largest renewable energy projects completed in South Australia.
Last year, Engie inked a virtual power purchase agreement with Coca-Cola Europacific Partners for the 300MW Wellington North Solar Farm in New South Wales, owned by Lightsource bp.
Ark Energy appoints Elecnor Australia for early works on 500MW solar-plus-storage site
In Victoria’s northern neighbour, New South Wales, developer Ark Energy has signed an Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) agreement with Elecnor Australia to undertake early works for the 500MW Richmond Valley solar-plus-storage project.
The appointment positions Spanish infrastructure group Elecnor to handle preliminary development activities for the project, which combines a 500MW solar PV power plant with a 275MW/2,200MWh 8-hour duration battery energy storage system (BESS).
According to the announcement, Elecnor Australia will undertake site studies, detailed engineering design for the solar PV power plant, balance of plant design for the BESS and other preparatory activities ahead of the main construction phase.
The early works are expected to be completed by Q2 2026, positioning the project for execution of the full EPC contract.
Located in the Richmond Valley region of New South Wales, the project benefits from strong solar irradiance and proximity to existing transmission infrastructure.
The Richmond Valley Solar Farm development has progressed through several key milestones since Ark Energy, a subsidiary of Korea Zinc, lodged its development application for the 500MW solar-plus-storage project with New South Wales planning authorities.
