European Energy and AirTrunk open 31MW Mulwala solar PV plant in New South Wales, Australia

European Energy confirmed on 5 November that the PV plant had completed testing and is now operating at full output. The company did not give the date of the opening event, which it said was attended by local stakeholders.

Under an offtake agreement, the majority of the plant’s electricity goes to AirTrunk. A portion of output is uncontracted and sold into the grid. European Energy has not published the term or pricing of the AirTrunk agreement.

“It shows how long-term demand from digital infrastructure can support new renewable generation,” said Sabooh Whitelaw, associate vice president, utility and energy at AirTrunk. Whitelaw added that the project brings renewable generation to NSW and that such partnerships can create opportunities for local communities.

Construction, grid registration and storage plans

The plant sits about 2km north of the town of Mulwala in the Riverina district, near the Victorian border. It occupies roughly a third of a 215-hectare site, with the remaining land kept for cattle grazing.

Construction began in September 2025. European Energy said the build involved more than 50,000 solar modules, almost 7,000 piles and more than 40,000 working hours, and created more than 250 local jobs, with the on-site workforce peaking at 73 people a day.

Construction finished in March 2026 and the plant was energised the same month. AEMO registration classified Mulwala as a semi-scheduled unit, meaning it bids into the NEM dispatch engine. The project is expected to generate around 66GWh a year.

European Energy said the site will incorporate a 25MW/100MWh battery energy storage system. That is larger than the 20MW/40MWh co-located battery storage system the company had outlined earlier in 2026. No construction timeline for the battery storage system has been given.

Catriona McLeod, vice president and head of European Energy Australia, said: “Having Mulwala operating at full output is an important step for our activities in Australia.” She said the company was now delivering renewable electricity in NSW after taking the project through development, construction, energisation and commissioning.

European Energy acquired Mulwala from Swedish developer OX2 in September 2024, alongside the Lancaster solar PV project in northern Victoria. The two projects totalled 137MWp, with combined annual output estimated at around 255GWh.

The company then reached financial close on more than AU$130 million (US$93 million) of portfolio financing from Westpac and DZ BANK in June 2025 to build both assets. Lancaster, which has a long-term PPA with Apple, was inaugurated in March 2026 as European Energy’s first operational utility-scale project in Australia.

Thorvald Spanggaard, executive vice president and head of project development at European Energy, said “Mulwala brings together three characteristics that are increasingly important for renewable energy investments”, namely generation, storage and contracted demand. He said the company aims to develop projects across the value chain and retain assets in its portfolio while offering partnership opportunities.

The role of data centres in contracting new generation is drawing attention from policymakers in NSW. A state parliamentary inquiry last week recommended that data centres be legally required to supply their own 100% renewable energy on an hourly basis, a stricter test than current state guidelines.

European Energy said it has further solar, wind and battery storage projects under development in Australia.