Potentia Energy has announced that its Quorn Park Solar Hybrid project in western New South Wales (NSW) has been energised, paving the way for the commissioning process ahead of commencing full operations.
The Quorn Park facility, located about 10 kilometres northwest of Parkes in central west NSW, combines an 80 MW solar farm and a 20 MW / 40 MWh battery energy storage system. It is anticipated the facility will commence full operations in 2026, generating approximately 200,000 MWh of clean electricity a year.
Potentia, a joint venture owned by Italian utilities major Enel Group and Japanese oil and gas giant Inpex, said the energisation milestone follows the recent approval of the project’s Generator Performance Standard (GPS).
“We’re proud to announce the successful energisation and first synchronisation of the Quorn Park Solar Hybrid project,” Potentia said, noting that the facility is the first hybrid GPS approved in the National Electricity Market (NEM).
The $190 million (USD 125.6 million) project is the first solar and battery facility built on Australia’s main electricity grid that shares a single point of connection under the GPS, rather than two separate connection points in proximity. This allows the solar farm to be truly paired with the battery energy storage system, rather than operating and dispatching as separate units.
“The project demonstrates how renewable energy and battery storage can work together to deliver reliable, cost-effective support to the grid, meeting the evolving needs of NSW communities while accelerating the energy transition,” Potentia said.
“The battery will play a critical role in strengthening local grid stability, storing excess solar generation, and ensuring clean, reliable energy is available when it’s needed most.”
Image: Potentia Energy
The Quorn Park solar and battery hybrid project is supported by a 10-year power purchase agreement with South Australia-headquartered renewable energy gen-tailer Zen Energy.
Zen has reached a deal to buy “the majority” of energy to be generated by the facility, saying it will add 68 MW capacity to its existing generation portfolio.
Potentia, previously known as Enel Green Power Australia, has more than 1,000 MW of renewable capacity in operation and under construction across the country, and has rights secured for a development pipeline of more than 8 GW.
The company’s operating assets includes the 220 MW Bungala 1 and 2 solar farms in South Australia, the 27 MW Cohuna and 93 MW Girgarre solar farms in Victoria, the 40 MW Greenough River Solar Farm in Western Australia, and the 23 MW Royalla Solar Farm in the Australian Capital Territory, and the 128 MW Clare Solar Farm in Queensland.
Projects in development include the 900 MWh Emeroo battery energy storage system in South Australia and the Tallawang solar-battery hybrid facility in central west NSW, that will combine 500 MW of solar with a 500 MW / 1,000 MWh battery.
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