Neoen clinches ‘landmark’ PPA to advance Australia’s largest solar farm

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
Image: Neoen.

What intends to be Australia’s largest solar farm has edged one step closer to deployment after its developer Neoen clinched a major offtaker agreement.

Today (6 May 2020), Neoen signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) that will see government-owned energy company CleanCo Queensland buy power from 352MWp of solar, built under the Western Downs Green Power Hub.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

Not ready to commit yet?
  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

The project – to be developed near Chinchilla in south east Queensland – is intended to be the country’s largest operational solar farm once complete, with a total output in the region of 460 – 480MWp.

Paris-headquartered Neoen said the arrangement stands among Australia’s most substantial renewable energy agreements to date. Meanwhile, utility CleanCo said it would provide more than 30% of the energy needed to meet its target of procuring 1GW of renewable generation by 2025.

Neoen confirmed that the agreement means that the AU$570 million (US$366 million) project could now advance to the build-phase, with construction slated to begin in July. The plant is expected to connect to Powerlink Queensland’s transmission network in Q1 2022.

Queensland debut to bring 400 jobs to post-COVID economy

Western Downs represents Neoen’s first project in Queensland, despite its already considerable presence in Australia. The firm will remain the developer, long-term owner and operator of the project.

Louis de Sambucy, managing director at Neoen Australia, said Western Downs would become a “lighthouse project” for the company, by delivering “excellent regional economic and local community outcomes” that will be vital in a post-COVID-19 economy.

Up to 400 local jobs will be supported throughout the project’s construction, while a community benefit fund has been established to invest AU$100,000 (US$64,000) in local initiatives each year throughout the project’s operational lifetime.

Australia continues to be a source of interest for the solar sector despite much-vaunted hurdles such as grid congestion. Late last month, existing constraints against five sizeable solar farms in Victoria and New South Wales were lifted after seven months, undoing curtailments that had effectively halved the output of those projects.

The country’s grid operator has however stressed Australia is ready to embrace much greater proliferation of renewables, indicating it will be ready to procure 75% of its power demand from wind and solar from 2025 onwards.

Read Next

August 28, 2025
Developer Pacific Energy has successfully commissioned a 26MW solar-plus-storage site at the Atlas-Campaspe mine in NSW, Australia.
August 26, 2025
The Australian Government’s CER approved 56 new power stations, with 797MW of renewable energy capacity, in July this year.
August 22, 2025
The Australian Renewables Income Fund (ARIF), a renewable energy fund managed by Foresight Group, has raised AU$700 million (US$779 million) in a debt refinancing transaction.
August 22, 2025
AEMO has predicted the NEM will see a steady rise in renewable energy generation capacity, reaching 229TWh by 2035.
August 20, 2025
New South Wales, Australia's most coal-dependent state, will transition from 40% to 90% renewable energy by 2035, according to grid operator Transgrid's latest planning report.
August 19, 2025
Australia’s Clean Energy Council has appointed Jackie Trad as its new chief executive officer, following the departure of Kane Thornton.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece
Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
October 2, 2025
London,UK
Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
Manila, Philippines