Solar Choice becomes the sole owner of 2 GW solar project in Australia

Solar Choice has reached completion on the purchase of an additional 75% stake from SunEdison in the multi-staged 2,000 MW Bulli Creek Solar Farm & Energy Storage project west of Toowoomba in southern Queensland.

Having originated the project in 2013 before taking a 25% stake in the project entity when it was established in 2015, Solar Choice now fully owns the project and is seeking a new partner with whom to take the first and subsequent stages to financial close.

Solar Choice’s founder and managing director, Angus Gemmell, said: “It’s rare to have such a well-developed site on Australia’s transmission network where grid capacity for large-scale renewable generation approaches 2 GigaWatt and Marginal Loss Factors don’t adversely impact revenues until approximately 1.5 GigaWatt. The site straddles the Qld NSW Interconnector due west of the major load centres of Toowoomba and Brisbane, and only 4kms south of a major 330kV substation with a registered connection easement to the start of our 8km x 8km of cleared flat grazing country secured with planning approval. All federal environmental, cultural heritage and other regulatory milestones have been cleared". 

Bulli Creek has been well advanced for 475MW AC and 200MW AC stage optionality, or a single 675MW AC first stage. These will now be revisited with provisions for major battery storage. Each stage of the project will be owned by a separate SPV filled with whatever equity and debt is best brought to that particular stage.