Contractor appointed for the 1st stage of Bulli Creek Solar Park, Australia

The preferred engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor for the 450MW plus 1st stage of Bulli Creek solar park, has been appointed. The contractor, PCL Construction, was appointed by Genex Power Limited following an extensive tender process.

PCL is a group of independent construction companies with footprints across Canada, the United States, the Caribbean, and Australia. Genex, on the other hand, is an ASX-listed company whose focus is developing a portfolio of renewable energy generation and storage projects across Australia.

The two companies have already entered into an early contractor involvement agreement. However, details about the full-scope EPC contract will be agreed later this year.

Development of the 1st stage of Bulli Creek Solar Park

The 1st stage of Bulli Creek Solar Park will be installed in Queensland’s Western Downs region.

Upon completion, it will have the capacity to generate between 450 MW and 775 MW of electricity. A 25-year power purchase agreement has already been signed for the project with Fortescue. Fortescue is a global metal mining and green energy company that until July 2023 only focused on iron ore mining under the name Fortescue Metals Group.

As per the PPA, 337.5MW generated by the 1st stage of Bulli Creek Solar Park will be supplied to the iron ore giant’s planned green hydrogen and green ammonia facility on Gibson Island. Genex and its partners are reportedly working towards a final investment decision (FID) on the project by the second half of 2024.

Reportedly, Genex has also begun the tender process for the first battery energy storage system (BESS) with a capacity of up to 400MW/1,600MWh. This will be one of the largest BESS facilities in the National Electricity Market (NEM).

Bulli Creek Solar Park, the biggest solar and battery storage complex in Australia

Bulli Creek Solar Park, which the aforementioned is a part of, is the biggest solar and battery storage complex project in Australia with a planned capacity of up to 2,000MW.

The multi-stage development project is developed by Genex Power in partnership with Electric Power Development (J-POWER), and Solar Choice as a co-developer. Formerly known as Denpatsu, J-POWER is an electric utility headquartered in Japan that mainly produces electricity from coal and hydroelectric power stations. Solar Choice on the other hand is a family-owned company that specializes in German-made solar power systems.

The Bulli Creek Solar Park project will be built on a 5,000-hectare piece of land in Queensland, Australia. This site is approximately 4 kilometres from the Powerlink Queensland Bulli Creek 330kV substation, the connection point for the Queensland-NSW Interconnector.

Features of the Bulli Creek Solar Park

Reportedly the biggest solar and battery storage complex in Australia will include an array of solar photovoltaic (PV) modules, arranged in a grid pattern (10 meters spacing between each row and 5 meters above ground). The PV modules will be supported by a steel and/or aluminium mounting structure that includes framing, pylons and foundations.

The solar array will also feature a series of inverters and kiosk transformers. On the other hand, PV arrays, associated monitoring and protection equipment and central inverters will be connected through an underground or frame-secured cabling network.

Lastly, network interconnection facilities will be connected to the project to either or both of the 330kV and 132kV distribution systems via an overhead feeder line to the Bulli Creek substation or a new terminal on site.