Pacific Partnerships, a subsidiary of the Sydney-headquartered construction and engineering firm Cimic Group, said it has received the tick of approval from the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) and network operator Powerlink to connect the 250 MW Hopeland Solar Farm to the grid.
“AEMO has advised Powerlink that our application for future connection of the solar farm to the National Electricity Market (NEM) has been approved,” the company said.
“AEMO has issued a 5.3.4A letter of approval, based on rigorous evaluation of the asset’s proposed generator performance standards, its impact to the network and its grid compliance with regulatory standards.”
Pacific Partnerships said the approval paves the way for the continued development of the project that is likely to include a 175 MW / 350 MWh battery energy storage system.
The project is being developed near Chinchilla, about 290 kilometres west of Brisbane. The site is adjacent to Powerlink’s Western Downs 275 kV substation within the state government’s planned Southern Queensland Renewable Energy Zone.
Pacific Partnerships said it is working with fellow Cimic offshoot UGL on the next phase of the project and together they will go on to design, procure, construct and operate the solar farm.
It is anticipated the Hopeland Solar Farm will commence operations in 2026.
The project is the second large-scale solar farm to be owned and developed by Pacific Partnerships, with the first being the 102 MW Glenrowan Solar Farm now operating in northern Victoria.
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