Developer Fotowatio Renewable Ventures (FRV) Australia has confirmed that the first energisation at its 353MW Walla Walla solar PV power plant has been completed.
In a statement made today (26 November), FRV Australia said the solar PV plant in New South Wales successfully generated its first kilowatt-hour of clean energy. The project is FRV Australia’s largest in its portfolio to date.
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Prior to construction, FRV Australia inked a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with tech giant Microsoft to use power from the Walla Walla plant to power its data centres in Australia.
Due to the increasing shift towards digitilisation, data centres are beginning to increase in number across the world to facilitate this societal shift; however, these are often energy-intensive.
Carlo Frigerio, CEO of FRV Australia, hailed the milestone achievement at the Walla Walla solar PV power plant, stating that it reaffirms the company’s commitment to clean energy generation in Australia.
“The first kilowatt-hour from Walla Walla Solar Farm reinforces our commitment to delivering impactful renewable energy projects. This achievement not only supports Australia’s renewable energy goals but also strengthens our position as a key player in the sector,” Frigerio said.
The Walla Walla solar PV power plant was aided by an AU$1.2 billion (US$780 million) refinancing facility FRV Australia secured in July 2024. The financing facility would be put towards a 1GW solar PV portfolio of eight projects.
Alongside Walla Walla, several other projects benefited from the funding, including the 125MW Lilyvale, 56MW Moree, 90MW Sebastopol, 83.7MW Goonumbla, 115MW Metz, 106MW Winton and 2.45MWdc Dalby projects.
Walla Walla has become the latest solar PV asset owned by FRV Australia to begin energisation. Earlier this year, PV Tech reported that the organisation revealed that its first solar-plus-storage project, a 2.45MW power plant coupled with a 2.54MW/5MWh battery energy storage system (BESS), went live in Dalby, Queensland, also aided by the AU$1.2 billion financing.
Combining the two energy assets helps the site stabilise the National Electricity Market (NEM). Excess energy generated by the solar PV plant is captured and stored in the BESS for when demand spikes.
