French energy company Neoen has agreed on a deal with energy retailer EnergyAustralia covering 100MW of the renewable energy generated from its yet-to-be-built Coleambally solar farm in NSW.
Commissioned by Neoen and located in the Riverina region of NSW, construction on the project is set to begin in late 2017. Once complete, the facility will have an output capacity of 150MW, with the ability to deliver emissions-free, renewable energy to more than 50,000 homes in Australia.
The Coleambally Solar Farm is in the environmental assessment and connection studies phases of development.
Approximately 560,000 solar panels will be installed on 550 hectares of land, connecting to the national electricity grid.
The project will generate around 300 jobs during construction phases.
Neoen Australia managing director Franck Woitiez said the partnership signals a positive move towards a more sustainable Australia as the country redirects focus away from its finite resources industries.
“Australians are an eco-conscious collective and an increasing number of the population is seeking to opt into a more sustainable way of living as we begin to realise that reliance on fossil fuels and other finite resources will eventually come to a halt,” Woitiez said.
EnergyAustralia executive for energy Mark Collette said continued investment in new supplies of cleaner energy was critical to developing a modern, stable energy system in Australia as existing coal generation is retired.
“The reality is renewable energy will in time come to underpin the national electricity market – it makes business sense, it’s good for the environment and it’s what our customers want. That’s why we’re so excited about adding a quality renewable opportunity like Coleambally to our power purchase portfolio and we’re looking forward to working with Neoen to bring this great project to market,” Collette said.
Neoen is continuing to expand its renewable energy portfolio in Australia, with the development of wind and solar projects across the country. The renewable energy producer most recently announced its involvement in a historical partnership between Tesla, Neoen and the South Australian government to pair the world’s largest lithium ion battery with the Neoen Hornsdale Wind farm in South Australia.