A joint venture between Windlab and Squadron Energy has referred the Bungaban Solar Project, a 500MW solar PV facility paired with a 500MW battery energy storage system (BESS), to Australia’s federal government for assessment under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act.
The project would be built on a 1,531.9-hectare property at Bungaban, around 50km northeast of Wandoan in Queensland’s Western Downs region, on land historically used for cattle grazing.
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The EPBC Act submission includes a transmission line connecting the solar and battery infrastructure to Powerlink’s proposed Warranna substation, itself part of the separate Bungaban Wind Farm Connection Project.
Construction is proposed to start in July 2028, with a project life extending to 2068. Western Downs Regional Council approved the development application in June 2026.
The referral was lodged by Bungaban Hold Trusco Pty Ltd, a proponent formed through a 50:50 joint venture between Federation Asset Management, which wholly owns renewable energy developer Windlab, and Squadron Energy, established in April 2026.
Development work on the solar project prior to that point had been led solely by Windlab.
Part of a larger wind and solar hub anchored by a Rio Tinto offtake deal
Bungaban Solar sits within Windlab’s broader South Queensland Renewable Generation Hub, which also includes the Bungaban Wind Farm, a 1.4GW, AU$3.9 billion (US$2.54 billion) development.
According to Windlab, around 80% of energy generated across the hub over 25 years is contracted to Rio Tinto under what the company describes as Australia’s largest renewable energy power purchase agreement (PPA), supporting the mining company’s Queensland aluminium and manufacturing operations.
The remaining generation is intended for Australia’s National Electricity Market (NEM).
Windlab has more than two decades of experience in the Australian renewable energy sector and has taken over 1GW of wind assets to financial close, according to the referral documents, which also list a further eight projects the company has previously referred under the EPBC Act, including the Kennedy Energy Park and Gawara Baya wind farm.
The referral states that Windlab has not been subject to any compliance proceedings under Commonwealth, state or territory environmental law.
Squadron Energy, described in the referral as Australia’s largest renewable energy developer, holds around 2GW of renewable energy assets in operation or under construction, including the Uungula, Murra Warra, Sapphire and Crudine Ridge wind farms.
The company recently completed a refinancing of its Australian portfolio, securing debt commitments of more than AU$2.7 billion, with the restructured platform designed to enable future expansion into battery storage and hybrid projects, a shift that the Bungaban Solar joint venture reflects directly.
The EPBC referral identifies several threatened and migratory species that have the potential to occur within the wider study area, including the koala, greater glider and Belson’s panic, as well as ecological communities such as Brigalow and Poplar Box Grassy Woodland.
The accompanying ecological assessment found that the development footprint, at 1,507.1 hectares, would affect only a small proportion of relevant habitat within the broader 2,394.4-hectare study area, with 99.99% of ground disturbance occurring within already cleared, non-remnant vegetation.
The proponent’s assessment concluded that the project is unlikely to have a significant impact on any listed species or ecological community and that no environmental offsets would be required.
Consultation on the project has been underway since 2022 as part of Windlab’s engagement across the wider hub, with dedicated public consultation on the solar component expanding from early 2025.
This has included briefings with Western Downs Regional Council and Banana Shire Council, community information sessions in Wandoan, and a social impact assessment process led by consultancy Ochre Social Performance that engaged around 170 stakeholders.
