Enel Green Power secures finance for NSW solar and storage project

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Enel Green Power Australia (EGPA), owned by Italian utilities major Enel Group and Japanese oil and gas giant Inpex, has announced it has secured project financing for the $190 million (USD 125.6 million) Quorn Park solar and battery hybrid project being developed near Parkes in the central west of New South Wales (NSW).

Quorn Park, which will combine an 80 MW solar farm with a 20 MW / 40 MWh battery energy storage system, is being built on a 470-hectare property about 10 kilometres northwest of Parkes in the planned Central West Orana Renewable Energy Zone.

Construction proper of the project is expected to begin within the next few months with a targeted start to operations in the first half of 2026.

“We’re thrilled to announce that construction will begin in Q3 this year,” the company said in a statement.

Once built, the project’s estimated 250,000 solar panels will generate approximately 200,000 MWh of clean electricity a year. The generated electricity will be exported into the network through a direct connection to the 132 kV Essential Energy-owned transmission line located approximately 700 metres to the west of the site.

The project is one of the first hybrid solar and battery projects to be connected in the National Electricity Market (NEM), as the point of connection to the electricity grid is shared under single Generator Performance Standards (GPS), rather than two separate connection points in proximity.

EGPA Chief Executive Officer Werther Esposito said grid connection and services agreements are in place and Essential Energy has already commenced early works.

The project will be jointly financed by a combination of equity provided by Enel and Inpex and debt facilities provided by Westpac and Bank of China.

Esposito said achieving financing commitment for Quorn Park represents an important milestone for the company, following the transition to a new joint venture structure less than 12 months ago.

“This is the first of many investment decisions that will be made over the coming years as our joint venture company accelerates the build out of our significant portfolio of wind, solar, storage and hybrid projects under development across Australia,” he said.

“This also marks our first project to commence construction in NSW. We look forward to facilitating further investment in NSW and across other states as we target a significant increase to our installed capacity alongside an expansion of activities within our retail and trading operations.”

EGPA currently operates three solar farms, including Bungala One and Two projects in South Australia, which together have a capacity of 220 MW, and the 27 MW Cohuna Solar Farm in Victoria. It has also commenced the commissioning of the 93 MW Girgarre Solar Farm in central Victoria and the 76 MW Flat Rocks wind farm in Western Australia.

The company said it also has a significant portfolio of wind, solar, storage and hybrid projects under development across Australia.

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