The Western Downs Green Power Hub solar project in Queensland, Australia is a large-scale renewable energy development designed to supply clean electricity to the national grid. Located near Chinchilla in the Western Downs region, the project combines a utility-scale solar farm with large battery storage systems to support grid reliability and renewable energy integration.

This location is approximately 300 km northeast of Brisbane. It was chosen due to its flat topography and sunny weather. Furthermore, the choice of the location was favored by its close proximity to Powerlink’s existing Western Downs substation. The latter will connect via a new 275kV line ensuring the energy can rapidly be exported into the grid.

The Western Downs Green Power Hub has a long-term contract to deliver 80% of its output to the government-owned power company CleanCo. The latter in turn will sell the product to customers such as BHP, Westfield, and Coles. Noteworthy, the facility which will also feature 200MW/400MWh big battery has the capacity to power up to 235,000 households in Queensland.

Reported earlier

May 2020

SWSL receives contract for Western Downs Green Power Hub in Australia

Sterling and Wilson Solar, an India-based renewable contracting giant have made its second big move in the Australian Solar market, after winning the contracts for construction through to operation and maintenance of what is believed to be the Neoen Western Downs project.

Sterling and Wilson Solar Limited (SWSL) announced recently that it had signed an Engineering, Procurement, and Construction contract worth around US$344.2 million, as well a 20-year, roughly US$56 million Operation and Maintenance (O&M) contract for a new solar project in Australia.

The press release did not name the project behind the contracts, but sources in the industry suggest a contract of that scale could be none other than the Neoen Western Downs project, Australia’s nation-leading 400MW solar project located in Queensland’s Western Downs, which is set for to begin construction in July after inking an off-take deal with CleanCo., the state’s renewable gen-tailer.

The deal – announced by Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk at the May 06 Stimulus Summit co-hosted by the Smart Energy Council and RenewEconomy – will have CleanCo buy 320MW of the output of the Western Downs Green Power Hub, which could possibly also include a 150MW battery down the track.

Also Read: Australia to Construct the World’s first hydrogen production facility.

Sterling and Wilson Solar in Australia 

For the Mumbai-based SWSL, the contracts announced this week mark its largest job yet in Australia and will take the company’s Australian order book to around US$656 billion. Reward no doubt, for what it described in an earlier results briefing as “initial hiccups” in its opening market forays.

Sterling and Wilson Solar’s first job in the country began at the end of 2019, when they constructed a 200MW Wellington solar farm in New South Wales, on behalf of Lightsource BP. With the new contract, SWSL stated this week that it had “clearly established its presence in Australia,” and placed itself among the largest solar EPCs in what was a “very promising” market.

“This is our largest order in Australia and is a culmination of efforts to break new ground in countries like Australia, the United States, and South America, where our company has invested in a very strong team that is completely aligned with the local requirements,” said SWSL CEO Bikesh Ogra.

SWSL also mentioned in the statement that it believed the worst of the Covid-19 impacts on the industry “seemed to have passed.” The company lastly stated that it expected a fair portion of its international revenues for the current financial year to come from Australia, South America, and the US, where solar project construction had commenced to full capacity.

Hybrid renewable energy projects are increasingly integrating solar generation with battery storage to improve grid flexibility and reliability. A recent example is the NEM-first solar-battery hybrid project by Potentia Energy, which recently reached a major construction milestone in Australia’s evolving renewable energy sector.

Project Fact Sheet

Project Name: Western Downs Green Power Hub

Location: Near Chinchilla, Queensland, Australia

Project Cost: Approximately $600 million

Project Type: Utility-scale solar photovoltaic farm with battery storage

Owner / Developer: Neoen

Solar Capacity: Approximately 460 MWp (about 400 MW AC output)

Battery Capacity:

• Stage 1: 270 MW / 540 MWh
• Stage 2: 270 MW / 540 MWh
• Stage 3: 305 MW / 1,220 MWh (under construction)

Solar Panels Installed: Over 1 million photovoltaic panels

Project Area: About 1,500 hectares

Grid Connection: Connected to Powerlink Queensland transmission network

Power Purchase Agreement: Long-term agreement with CleanCo Queensland

Construction Start: 2020

Solar Farm Completion: 2022–2023

Battery Expansion: Ongoing through staged development

Current Status: Solar and initial battery stages operational; additional storage expansion underway

Significance: One of Australia’s largest solar power facilities and a key component of Queensland’s renewable energy transition.

Project Team

Project Owner / Developer: Neoen (France-based renewable energy developer)

Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC): UGL Limited (CIMIC Group Company)

Battery Technology Supplier: Tesla Energy (Megapack battery systems)

Transmission and Grid Operator

• Powerlink Queensland
• Power Offtaker / Energy Buyer
• CleanCo Queensland
• Energy Market Operator
• Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO)
• Local Government Authority
• Western Downs Regional Council

Project Financing Institutions: Syndicate of international and Australian lenders supporting Neoen’s financing package