Octopus breaks ground on Blind Creek solar and battery project

Construction has officially started on Octopus Australia’s Blind Creek Solar Farm and battery project in southern New South Wales, one of the biggest DC-coupled hybrid projects being developed in the country.

March 11, 2026 David Carroll

Image: Octopus Australia

The Australian arm of British renewables developer Octopus Investments announced it has broken ground on the $900 million (USD 639 million) Blind Creek solar farm and battery energy storage project being built near Bungendore in southern New South Wales (NSW).

Blind Creek will deliver 300 MW of solar generation, with a 243 MW / 486 MWh battery energy storage system, making it one of the biggest DC-coupled hybrid projects in Australia.

Octopus said the innovative design allows the battery to charge directly from the solar farm, enabling energy to be dispatched when both demand and value are at their peak.

“This is a bankable energy product designed to strengthen grid reliability and provide clean, dispatchable supply as ageing coal stations retire,” the developer said. “By pairing solar generation with storage, it produces firmed renewable electricity that gives customers price certainty and confidence in delivery.”

Being built near the town of Bungendore, the Blind Creek facility will connect to the grid via a new substation into the transmission backbone between the major load centres of Sydney and Canberra. Once operational, the facility will have the capacity to produce 735 GWh of renewable energy annually, enough to power up to 120,000 homes and businesses.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said the project will strengthen the electricity grid, accelerate renewable penetration and contribute to economic development in surrounding communities.

“This is the kind of project NSW needs as we replace ageing energy infrastructure,” he said. “The Blind Creek project is creating local jobs, and it will help deliver the replacement energy that households and businesses rely on.”

It is expected the project will support up to 300 full-time equivalent jobs at peak construction, with approximately half expected to be sourced from the local Bungendore and Monaro regions.

Initiated in partnership with local sheep graziers seeking to integrate agriculture with energy production as a means to future-proof their property, the solar farm will also support ongoing agricultural activities.

Octopus said the project has been specifically designed to enable sheep grazing to continue across the site, with a boost in grazing capability also expected as a result of protection from winds, partial shading, condensation and organic soil improvements coming from the project.

“This project shows what happens when global capital, Australian super and regional farming families align under stable government policy. You get real infrastructure, real clean electricity and real jobs,” Octopus Australia Chief Executive Officer Sam Reynolds said.

“Octopus Australia’s strategy is designed precisely for this, to align long-term capital with regional communities and deliver bankable projects.”

Construction of the Blind Creek project is being led by GRS, the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor of Spanish group Gransolar, with Finland’s Wärtsilä Energy Storage supplying the battery energy storage system. The project is due to be fully operational in 2028.

The Blind Creek project follows on from Octopus’ first DC-coupled project, the Fulham solar farm and battery energy storage system being built in Victoria. That project includes am 80 MW PV plant and a 64 MW / 128 MWh DC-coupled battery.

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