Iberdrola Australia has committed to building the 245MW Avonlie solar farm near Narrandera, New South Wales, after recently acquiring the project from RES.
The project is expected to generate approximately 500 gigawatt hours of electricity per year, equivalent to powering more than 80,000 Australian households and avoiding over 157,000 tonnes of carbon emissions per year.
Construction work will include the installation of more than 450,000 solar panels and related balance of plant.
The work is expected to begin later this year, with initial energisation expected before the end of 2022.
The project will create more than 230 full time jobs during construction and many direct and indirect jobs during its estimated operational life of 35 years.
Managing Director of Iberdrola Australia Ross Rolfe 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 100% renewable electricity contracts.
“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 for supply that is reliable, affordable and clean.”