Australia’s Pacific Blue, a renewable energy generator and retailer, has been granted council approval for a 300MW solar-plus-storage expansion in North Queensland.
Revealed earlier this week, the Haughton Solar Farm, a 100MW solar PV power plant located 60km south of Townsville, will add 300MW of solar PV generation capacity to the project, alongside a co-located 200MW/400MWh battery energy storage system (BESS).
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North Queensland’s Burdekin Shire Council approved the plans for the expansion.
Pacific Blue CEO Domenic Capomolla said the development approval of stage two is a key milestone in creating the company’s proposed Burdekin Renewables Hub.
“Once this stage is complete, Haughton Solar Farm is expected to have a generating capacity of up to 500MW and enough power for around 290,000 homes. This project is the second stage of the four-part plan for Pacific Blue’s Burdekin Renewables Hub,” Capomolla said.
The project connects to the National Electricity Market (NEM) via a 275kV Powerlink transmission line located in the northeastern corner of the complex.
The Hub includes a range of renewable energy technologies such as solar PV, BESS, wind and pumped hydro energy storage (PHES).
“When fully realised, the plan for the renewable energy hub will also include a 500MW Wind Farm powering up to 200,000 homes and a 250MW 8-hour PHES scheme that will support an additional 140,000 homes. This generation capacity combined with the ability to store and deploy energy as needed will make significant inroads towards Queensland’s and Australia’s renewable energy transition,” Capomella added.
Pacific Blue’s Australian portfolio
Pacific Blue, founded in 1992 in Melbourne, has several operating renewable energy generation sites, including wind, hydro, solar PV, and energy storage.
Although Haughton is the only solar PV power plant in operation within the company’s portfolio, the organisation has several in development. This includes the 100MW Daroobalgie plant in New South Wales and the 240MW Prairie solar PV facility in Victoria.
The Daroobalgie solar plant in New South Wales is located 11km northeast of Forbes and 300km northwest of Sydney. Development approval was received in June 2024, with conditions mitigating potential impacts and proposed management measures.
Meanwhile, the 240MW Prairie facility is situated in Victoria’s Loddon Shire, north of the state capital, Melbourne. The company claims its location boasts “one of the best solar resources in Victoria”.
