Iberdrola Australia has started installing the first of its solar PV modules at the 377MW Broadsound solar-plus-storage project in Queensland.
Construction on the project started in September 2024, and the subdivision of utility giant Iberdrola confirmed on LinkedIn yesterday (12 May) that the first row of solar modules, known as the “golden row”, has been installed.
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The golden row is often regarded as an important milestone by project developers. It helps visualise a power plant’s design while setting a benchmark for quality and compliance. It also helps identify and resolve early challenges associated with the project’s design.
Broadsound’s golden row comprises 87 solar PV modules and is the first set of 610,000 modules that will need to be installed for the project. It will be connected to the National Electricity Market (NEM).
Previous coverage by PV Tech revealed that this is the organisation’s first project in Queensland, including the co-location of a battery energy storage system (BESS). A 180MW/260MWh 2-hour duration BESS will be installed alongside the solar PV power plant, enabling the capture of renewable energy to be exported to the grid during peak periods of demand.
Broadsound is located at Clarke Creek, around 860km northwest of the state capital, Brisbane. Construction on the project was expected to begin in mid-2026; however, this has been brought forward. The organisation said it has worked closely with the Barada Kabalbara Yetimarala (BKY) people on the project’s development and construction.
The solar PV power plant and BESS will sit on approximately 2,100 acres, predominantly cleared cattle grazing land.
Iberdrola Australia’s largest solar PV project
Broadsound is expected to be the organisation’s largest solar PV project in the country. It is closely followed by the 245MW Avonlie solar PV plant in New South Wales, comprising more than 450,000 solar panels.
The company is also developing the Port Augusta Renewable Energy Park in South Australia. The site consists of 50 wind turbines and 250,000 solar modules, granting 217MW of wind and 110MW of solar PV generation.
Since 2020, when it acquired renewables firm Infigen Energy, now Iberdrola Australia, the Spanish energy company has invested in several solar and wind projects in the country and acquired engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) provider Autonomous Energy.
Indeed, in 2022, Iberdrola committed to investing between €2-3 billion (US$1.99-2.99 billion) in renewable energy assets in Australia. Broadsound is the fruition of that investment.
