The Western Downs Green Power Hub, being developed by Neoen, will be a 460-megawatt solar farm that consists of approximately 1,545 hectares of solar panel fields and 270 megawatts of battery storage located in Queensland. It will connect to the State's main transmission network both directly and via battery storage.
Key Dates
| May 2020 | Contract Award |
| Jul 2020 | Construction Commencement |
| Oct 2020 | Financial Close |
| Dec 2024 | Expected Construction Completion |
Financing
| Debt Finance: | Syndicate |
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Neoen has completed debt financing for the project, retaining 100 per cent of the equity stake in Western Downs Green Power Hub. The Syndicate comprises seven lenders, including: Natixis, Société Générale, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, MUFG Bank, NORD/LB, HSBC and Commonwealth Bank of Australia. |
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Procurement
| Procuring Agency: | The developer, Neoen, was responsible for appointing the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contractor. |
| Successful Tenderer: | Sterling & Wilsons were appointed as the EPC contractor for the project. |
PROJECT HISTORY
| Jul 2018 | The project received planning approvals. |
| May 2020 | Neoen awarded the EPC contract for the project to Sterling & Wilson. The Queensland Government also announced that construction of the project would proceed after a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) was signed between the Queensland Government's renewable energy agency CleanCo and Neoen. Under the PPA, CleanCo will purchase 320 megawatts of output from the Western Downs Green Power Hub. |
| Oct 2020 | Neoen completed debt financing for the project, retaining 100 per cent of the equity stake in Western Downs Green Power Hub. $600 million in debt will be provided by a syndicate of seven lenders. |
| Oct 2021 | The Queensland government announced that the project had been connected to the grid. |
| Dec 2022 | Neoen announced that construction had commenced for the Western Downs Battery and that the storage had increased from 170 MW to 200 MW. |
| Jul 2023 | The Queensland Government identified the Western Downs region as an in-flight Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) in its draft 2023 Queensland Renewable Energy Zone Roadmap. |
| Jul 2023 | UGL announced an extension of the Western Downs Battery project to 270 MW / 540 MWh |
| Jun 2024 | Neoen announced that substation energisation had been completed, with the Hub expected to be operational by Q4 2024. |
Estimated Total Cost
(2020)
Sector
Energy
Procurement approach
Unconfirmed |
Location
Queensland |
Resources
