RES sells large 245MWdc Australian solar farm to Iberdrola

Today, RES announced the sale of its Avonlie solar development project to Iberdrola. The project is located in New South Wales, Australia and is RES’ largest ever solar development with generating capacity standing at 245 MW dc / 190 MW ac.

When operational, 450,000 solar panels, mounted on single axis tracking system will generate electricity to meet the needs of around 80,000 New South Wales homes. This will avoid over 157,000 tonnes of carbon each year.

The project is now ready to go into construction, following several years of environmental surveys and extensive community consultation which received strong local support. The project received planning consent from the NSW Department of Planning, Industry & Environment in August 2019.

Lumea will deliver the grid connection services for the life of the project with construction expected to commence later this year, and energisation expected before the end of 2022.

Matt Rebbeck, RES’ CEO in Australia commented, “We are very pleased to continue our strong global relationship with Iberdrola and are excited to see the project progress with them. We would like to thank the forward-thinking NSW Department for Planning Industry and Environment, Lumea, the local Narrandera Shire Council and the local community who have shown huge support for this project”.

“Having delivered multiple large-scale renewable energy projects in Australia, with over 1.21GW of projects now in construction or operational, RES is delighted to progress another project in NSW. The Avonlie Solar Farm will create more than 230 full time local jobs during construction and provide significant regional benefits and deliver on our vision of a future where everyone has access to affordable zero carbon energy”.

Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Iberdrola Australia, Ross Rolfe, AO, said:

“At Iberdrola Australia our strategy is to put customers at the centre of the energy transition. We are seeing a rapidly growing number of commercial and industrial customers adopting Net Zero targets and transitioning to one hundred per cent renewable electricity contracts. At Iberdrola Australia we invest not only in low-cost renewables – like the 245MW Avonlie Solar Farm – but also flexible, fast start firming capacity, ensuring the electricity system remains reliable as renewable penetration grows. This optimised portfolio enables us to provide our growing customer base with long-term electricity contracts that are at once reliable, affordable and clean.”

Lumea’s Chief Executive Officer, Richard Lowe said “We congratulate RES and Iberdrola on achieving this milestone. Lumea is delighted to continue our relationship with both customers and provide innovative technical solutions and commercial approaches required to quickly deliver reliable, renewable energy to the National Energy Market.”

The project will directly connect to a dual 132kV grid connection which passes through the project site.

About RES

RES is the world’s largest independent renewable energy company active in onshore and offshore wind, solar, energy storage and transmission and distribution. At the forefront of the industry for nearly 40 years, RES has delivered more than 21GW of renewable energy projects across the globe and supports an operational asset portfolio exceeding 7.5GW worldwide for a large client base.  Understanding the unique needs of corporate clients, RES has secured over 1.5GW of corporate power purchase agreements (PPAs) enabling access to energy at the lowest cost. RES employs over 2,000 people and is active in 10 countries.

RES has a development portfolio of over 4.7GW in Australia and has an asset management portfolio of over 1.2GW within the country. DNV have reported how assets managed by RES perform 1% better than the market average. Over the life of a 100MW wind farm that could be the equivalent over $4.5 million AUS in additional yield revenue.

www.res-group.com

Contact

Susan Findlay Tickner – Communications Manager (Australia-based)

+61 428 622 352

[email protected]