European Energy has secured planning approval for the Upper Calliope solar farm near Gladstone in Queensland.
The company said the approval advances the project toward final design, grid processes and construction preparation.
According to European Energy, the project’s full output is contracted to Rio Tinto under a 25-year power purchase agreement.
“With planning approval now in place, we can move ahead with the Upper Calliope project – one of the largest projects European Energy has undertaken to date. It’s an exciting and important step and our experienced team will now move on to the next phase of development,” said Catriona McLeod, vice president and country manager, Australia.
Electricity generated by the project is intended to supply Rio Tinto’s operations in Queensland, including aluminium smelting and alumina refining in the Gladstone region.
With planning approval secured, the project has progressed into an advanced stage of development and key remaining milestones include grid connection finalisation, procurement and final investment decisions.
“Securing planning approval materially advances the Upper Calliope project and reduces execution risk,” said Thorvald Spanggaard, executive vice president and head of project development at European Energy.
“Together with the long-term contracted offtake, the project now represents a permitted, utility-scale solar asset with defined revenue characteristics – one of the largest of its kind.”