Powerlink Queensland is seeking federal approval to expand its existing 330kV Bulli Creek Substation in Southern Queensland to accommodate the grid connection of Genex Power’s 775MW Bulli Creek solar PV power plant.
The expansion has been submitted to Australia’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act.
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The substation expansion will be a critical piece of transmission infrastructure, enabling one of Australia’s largest solar developments to deliver renewable energy into the National Electricity Market (NEM).
Currently, the existing Bulli Creek Substation lacks sufficient capacity to accommodate the solar plant’s connection, necessitating the expansion project to enable grid integration of the renewable energy facility located approximately 6km south of the substation.
According to the EPBC Act application, the substation expansion encompasses a 27-hectare study area located entirely on Powerlink freehold land. Construction activities are confined to a 4.3-hectare disturbance footprint representing the maximum direct impact area.
The study area borders Western Creek State Forest and includes infrastructure for substation platform extension, electrical equipment installation, access roads, bulk earthworks, drainage modifications, helicopter landing platform relocation, transmission line cut-in assets and a 50-metre bushfire buffer zone.
Construction activities will include site preparation involving vegetation clearing, topsoil stripping and stockpiling, and fencing installation.
The main construction phase encompasses bulk civil earthworks and concrete benching, followed by mechanical and electrical installation of prefabricated equipment, including inverters, transformers and overhead transmission lines.
Site rehabilitation of temporary construction areas will complete the project scope.
The substation expansion supports the commercial framework established between Stanwell Corporation and Genex Power through their 15-year power purchase agreement for the 775MW Bulli Creek Solar Farm.
Project planners have designed the expansion to avoid areas with Matters of National Environmental Significance value where practical. Due to the utilisation of previously disturbed areas, direct and indirect environmental impacts are considered minimal.
The substation expansion, which has a typical operational lifespan of 50 years, will provide long-term transmission capacity for renewable energy delivery from the Western Downs region.
Genex Power’s Bulli Creek Clean Energy Park
The 775MW Bulli Creek Solar Farm represents the first stage of Genex Power’s ambitious Bulli Creek Clean Energy Park, a multi-stage development covering 5,000 hectares located 45km southwest of Millmerran and 125km southwest of Toowoomba in Queensland.
Once operational, Genex claims the facility will become Australia’s largest grid-connected solar PV power plant.
The installation will incorporate more than 1.5 million bifacial solar modules mounted on approximately 204,000 steel foundation piles across the expansive site. The electrical infrastructure includes 232 integrated power skids, each rated at 4.2 MVA, and incorporates inverters, medium-voltage transformers, and MV switchgear to convert and condition the DC power generated by the solar arrays.
The Bulli Creek Clean Energy Park features a phased development approach, with the 775MW solar PV power plant designated as Stage 1. Future expansion plans include a battery energy storage system (Stage 2) with a capacity of 400MW to 600MW and a storage duration of 1,600MWh to 2,400MWh.
The full development potential extends to 2GW of combined solar and storage capacity, positioning the site as a major renewable energy hub in Queensland’s Western Downs region.
