300MW Queensland solar farm achieves major milestone

Rodds Bay Solar Farm (Rodds Bay) in Queensland achieved a significant milestone by issuing the Notice To Proceed (NTP) under its connection agreement with Powerlink Queensland.

Rodds Bay is a 300MWdc project developed by Renew Estate and will be one of Australia’s largest solar projects.  It will connect to a strong part of Queensland’s 275kV transmission network south of Gladstone between Bororen and Rodds Bay. Rodds Bay has been granted planning approval from Gladstone Regional Council including approval to develop an 82MW I 164MWh battery on site. 

The solar park will feature 900,000 photovoltaic (PV) modules and 10,000 trackers on 2,758 hectares near the town of Bororen in Rodds Bay, in the Gladstone region of Queensland. The annual output is estimated at 625 GWh, or as much as 88,000 homes consume.

The project has passed the required tests relating to system strength and generator performance standards and signed a connection agreement with Powerlink in January. Construction is scheduled to commence by Q3/Q4 2020, making this one of the most advanced solar developments in Queensland that can now be accelerated into construction.

Tom Harrison, Director of Renew Estate, commented “We have enjoyed a close working relationship with Powerlink over the past 2½ years and are very happy to be moving into the next stage of this project. I would like to thank the entire Powerlink team for working so collaboratively with us to realise the project, even amidst the exceptional challenges we have all faced over the past few weeks.”

Renew Estate is a joint venture between Wirsol Energy Pty Ltd, Energy Estate and Beast Solutions.