State-owned energy company Stanwell has inked a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) to secure renewable energy derived from 775MW of solar PV owned by Genex Power in Queensland, Australia.
The agreement encompasses the Bulli Creek Stage 1 Solar Farm, which has a generation capacity of 775MW. It is being co-developed by Genex and J-POWER, who recently acquired Genex. Once in operation, the companies claim, it will become the largest grid-connected solar farm in Australia.
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Under the terms of the PPA, Stanwell will purchase up to 550MW from Bulli Creek Stage 1 Solar Farm, situated in southern Queensland, to the west of Brisbane. This is the first phase of a multi-stage development at the Bulli Creek Clean Energy Park that will include up to 2GW of solar and large-scale battery storage.
Stage one of Bulli Creek will see around 775MW of solar PV installed at the site. In the project’s second phase, a 400MW/1600MWh BESS will be constructed.
Craig Francis, CEO of Genex Power, said the new PPA will help propel the project towards its final investment decision, expected later this year. Construction is set to commence in early 2025.
“The 15-year offtake agreement at Bulli Creek will enable Genex to progress the project swiftly toward a final investment decision later this year, delivering 775MW of new renewable energy capacity in Queensland from 2027,” Francis said.
Michael O’Rourke, CEO of Stanwell, added that the PPA will help the company achieve its decarbonisation target to reach up to 10GW of renewable energy generation by 2025.
Stanwell signs five-year contract for Kidston Solar Farm
Alongside the PPA arrangement Stanwell Asset Maintenance Company (SAMCo), a subdivision of Stanwell, penned a five-year contract to deliver operations and maintenance (O&M) services for Genex’s 50MW Kidston Solar Farm.
Stanwell launched SAMCo in November 2023 to provide operations and maintenance services to renewable energy projects throughout Queensland, creating new training and job opportunities for its workforce. The agreement will establish four permanent roles at the site, supported by a travelling service technician team.
Based in Far-North Queensland, the 50MW Kidston Solar Project features 540,000 solar modules operating on a single-axis tracking system and has an anticipated project life of 30 years. The first energisation occurred for the project in November 2017, and cadmium telluride thin-film solar module manufacturer First Solar provided the solar modules.
Commenting on this agreement, O’Rourke said: “SAMCo’s contract also locks in additional jobs in the renewable sector and showcases our ability to leverage our highly skilled workforce and experience to optimise the performance of renewable energy assets like those at Kidston Solar Farm.”
