Photo credit © Neoen
(Boursier.com) — Neoen camped on 30 euros this Friday, while the group signed a ‘turnkey’ EPC contract with a joint venture of Bouygues Construction Australia and Bouygues Energies & Services, thus officially launching the construction of the Culcairn solar power plant . Located on the lands of the Wiradjuri people in the state of New South Wales (NSW), the project was developed by Neoen and is expected to be commissioned during 2026.
The project includes the possibility of later adding a 100 MW battery. With a capacity of 440 MWp (350 MW AC), Culcairn Solar Farm will be one of the largest PV farms in NSW and Neoen’s second largest solar plant globally, just behind Western Downs Green Power Hub (460 MWp , Queensland) now in operation.
Neoen intends to contract the majority of the electricity that will be produced by Culcairn Solar Farm in the form of a PPA (Power Purchase Agreement). Neoen also recently won a Long-Term Energy Services Agreement (LTESA) via a tender launched by AEMO Services as part of the NSW State Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap program designed to achieve carbon neutrality. by 2050. This type of contract (LTESA) allows energy producers to sell their electricity at an agreed minimum price and complements future PPAs.
The solar park will produce annually the equivalent of the electricity consumption of more than 160,000 homes. It will also generate strong local economic benefits, notably with the creation of more than 400 jobs during the construction phase and seven permanent positions. As a long-term owner and operator, Neoen is also engaging with communities by funding a program to support local initiatives throughout the life of the solar plant, worth A$10 million . This program will fund a Community Benefit Fund each year and will also contribute to Greater Hume County Council. Furthermore, the park will include an agrivoltaic dimension since the park’s vegetation will be maintained by sheep.
Culcairn crowns a year where Neoen’s portfolio in Australia grew by 25%, now reaching 3.75 GW in operation or under construction. In New South Wales, the company is developing a multi-GW portfolio of large solar, wind and battery projects, which will contribute significantly to Neoen’s target of 10 GW of capacity in Australia by 2030. .
Portzamparc is talking about a new major project for the group which is already well established in this geographical area with a contractualization of the deal at stake, as the group is accustomed to doing… Enough to keep the file. ..
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