Multinational electric utility company Iberdrola begins the construction of its first renewable energy project in Australia. The move comes after acquiring Infigen Energy, one of the country’s leading renewable energy projects developers.
The new project is located in a small city in South Australia, called Port Augusta. Once complete, it will be the world’s first solar-wind hybrid plant.
With an investment of $500M, the renewable facility will combine 107 MW of photovoltaic technologies with 210 MW wind turbines. When the facility is in full operation, it’s expected to generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of 180K Australian homes each year.
During construction, there will be around 200 jobs supported until the project is commissioned in 2021. Therefore, Iberdrola contributes to the adoption of the post-COVID green economic recovery and job creation in Australia.
Fernando Santamaría, Iberdrola Country Manager, said:
The company’s commitment to the Australian market while continuing to bet on clean energies is a way out of the current crisis caused by the pandemic.
The project is already contributing to the industry’s revitalization. For example, in recent months, Iberdrola has signed major contracts for the Port Augusta project, including:
- Vestas will supply and install 50 wind turbines with a 4.2 MW capacity.
- Longi will supply and install around 250K solar PV panels.
- Elecnor will build the storage areas, access roads, deliver the substation, export transmission lines, and wind farm Balance of Plant.
- Sterling & Wilson will build the solar farm.
Over the years, Australia has become one of Iberdrola’s major growth platforms. The energy company has become one of the top leaders in the Australian market. It now operates over 800 megawatts (MW) of contracted and owned wind, solar, and battery storage capacity. It has 453 MW under construction (including Port Augusta) and a project pipeline of more than 1K MW in different development phases.
Australia’s renewable energy continues to grow its market share and is projected to increase even more over the next decade. The 2019 Australian Energy Report claims that renewable sources were responsible for 21% of electricity generation, with solar production rising by 46% and wind by 19%. The electricity sectors’ emissions are expected to drop by 23%, and the share of renewable energies to rise by 48% by 2030.
