Engie Australia announced it has begun construction of the 250 MW Goorambat East Solar Farm after reaching financial close on the project being built across five private rural properties near Benalla in Victoria’s northeast.
Engie Australia Managing Director of Renewables Laura Caspari said engineering, procurement, and construction contractors Bouygues Construction Australia and Equans Solar and Storage have been given notice to proceed and early construction works have begun on site.
“Construction and commissioning of the 250 MW solar farm is expected to be finished in 2026,” she said. “Once completed, at its maximum capacity, the solar farm could generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of 105,000 average Victorian homes, helping to bolster energy security in the state.”
The Goorambat East project, acquired from Neoen in late 2023, will comprise approximately 500,000 solar panels deployed across a 630-hectare site. The facility is to connect to the grid via a newly built Goorambat East terminal station, to be located alongside AusNet’s existing single circuit 220 kV transmission line route between the Shepparton and Dederang terminal stations.
Caspari said the “solar farm will make the most of an excellent solar resource and existing transmission infrastructure” while delivering long-term benefits to the community.
“This project represents a significant new private investment into regional Victoria and will create approximately 250 new jobs during the construction phase,” she said, noting that Engie has also committed to a community benefit fund of $75,000 per year for the life of the project, as well as offering up to $1,000 in annual electricity rebates to eligible near neighbours of the project once it starts to generate electricity.
“Both of these benefits underline our commitment to make a positive impact for the people of Goorambat and the Benalla region,” she said.
Caspari said the progress on the Goorambat East project is a significant milestone in Engie’s plans to establish a significant portfolio of large-scale solar, wind and battery energy storage assets in Australia.
“Engie reaching financial close on the Goorambat East Solar Farm is a major step in progressing our renewable energy development pipeline and reflects the company’s focus on growth and decarbonisation, and our commitment to delivering 3 GW of renewable energy in Australia by 2030,” she said.
Engie said it has almost 3 GW of solar and wind projects in development across the National Energy Market (NEM), including the 120 MW Silverleaf and 100 MW Yass solar farms being developed in New South Wales. It is also developing the 200 MW Warhook Solar Farm project in Queensland.
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