130 MW solar farm energised in Victoria

Cimic Group used its subsidiary Pacific Partnerships to develop the Glenrowan solar farm, and will now use another subsidiary, UGL, to operate and maintain the project.

Testing and commissioning on the 130 MW (DC) Glenrowan solar farm began early this month, with Cimic announcing it achieved first energisation on November 21. It expects the solar farm to begin exporting in early December and to ramp up to full production by the end of March 2024.

“Achieving on-time energisation just one year after construction began is testament to the team’s detailed planning, coordination and great working relationship with AEMO,” Pacific Partnerships’ Managing Director Simon Nicholls said.

It may be slightly too early to begin celebrating though – just last week, the commissioning of stage two of Vena Energy’s 180 MW Tailem Bend solar farm in South Australia was completed. It took the project around nine months to go from energisation to complete commissioning.

Coming back to Glenrowan, the solar farm has a 10-year power purchase agreement in place with the Victorian government. Its site is around 245 hectares and is located in Victoria’s North East Renewable Energy Zone (REZ).

Cimic said the solar farm’s next milestone announcement will be its first round of $50,000 in benefit sharing funding to be allocated from the project’s community benefit program.