Canadian Solar bags 333 MW module supply deal for Darlington Point

The Darlington Point solar+storage project is moving forward at a great pace. After reaching financial close earlier this week, project partners UK investor Octopus Investments and Australian renewables developer Edify Energy have selected Canadian Solar to supply its solar modules to the 333 MW solar farm.

The Chinese-Canadian solar heavyweight will provide over 820,000 of its HiKu modules (CS3W-P), which average an output of over 400W per module, which will be installed on single-axis solar tracking systems across an area of approximately 2,000 acres.

As announced earlier, Canadian Solar will also partner with Signal Energy Australia to provide EPC service on the project, as well as handle O&M services.

“We are delighted to be selected by Edify Energy and Octopus Investments to provide EPC services together with Signal Energy and to supply our high efficiency and industry-leading 1500V  and 400W multi-crystalline solar modules to this large-scale solar power plant,” said Shawn Qu, Chairman and CEO of Canadian Solar.

In the UK investor’s first deal since entering the Australian marketplace, Octopus and Edify Energy have arranged more than $450 million to finance the 333 MW DC (275MW AC) solar farm, which has an approval to be collocated with a 100 MWh energy storage facility at Darlington Point, NSW.

The Darlington Point Solar Farm has a signed PPA with Delta Electricity, Vales Point coal-fired power station owner, for 150 MW AC or approximately 55% of its output.

Construction is slated to begin in March this year, and create nearly 400 direct onsite peak jobs. The solar farm is expected to be up and running in early 2020, generating 685,000 MWh of renewable energy each year – enough to power around 115,000 homes.

“We are committed to working closely with local Australian communities in creating new jobs and to provide customers in Australia with affordable and reliable solar energy,” Qu said

Since the beginning of the year alone, Canadian Solar has struck a few important deals.

Under a similar arrangement, it agreed to provide the EPC services, under a JV partnership with Singal Energy, and modules for the Finlay Solar Farm in southern NSW, which is notable for having signed a seven-year PPA with Bluescope Steel for 66% of the output of the solar farm – Australia’s largest corporate PPA.

In a separate announcement earlier this week, Australian renewables developer Tetris Energy has confirmed that its 30 MW Mannum Solar Farm in South Australia has been acquired by module manufacturing giant Canadian Solar.