Spanish developer gets federal go-ahead for 350 MW solar farm in Queensland

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Renewable energy project developer X-Elio has received approval from the Australian government to proceed with construction of its Queensland-based 350 MW Sixteen Mile Solar Farm and a 120 MW / 240 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS).

Located 280 kilometres northwest of Brisbane and 22 kilometres south of Chinchilla, adjacent to the Western Downs Green Power Hub, the Sixteen Mile Solar Farm includes the construction of 579,660 solar panels across an area of 586 hectares and will include a 120 MW BESS.

Installation of a 7.4 km powerline on monopole high voltage (HV) towers and grid connection construction works will connect to an existing bay at Queensland’s transmission provider Powerlink’s Western Downs Substation, located east of the site.

The overall build is expected to take 18 to 24 months and the project’s life span, around 35 years.

Anticipated to generate enough energy to power 160,000 homes and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 650,000 tonnes per annum, or the equivalent to taking 205,000 cars off the road for a year.

The Western Downs Green Power Hub consists of a 460 MWp solar farm and 540 MW / 1,080 MWh big battery built by France-headquartered developer Neoen.

In Australia, X-Elio also has in development the 300 MW South Burnett BESS, 255 kilometres northwest of Brisbane, and the 270 MW Maxwell Downs Renewable Project, near the township of Maxwell in New South Wales, 265 kilometres west of Canberra, which includes a 300 MW BESS.

Under construction are the 60 MW Blue Grass Bess in the same region as Sixteen Mile, near Chinchilla, Queensland and the 110 MW Forest Glen solar farm near Dubbo, New South Wales.

The company has signed an agreement with Monash University in Victoria, and other partners to form the Grid Innovation Hub, which explores the physical and financial stability of the Australian grid.

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