French renewables developer Neoen has taken a final investment decision on its flagship 412MW Goyder Renewables Zone project in South Australia.
Notice to proceed was given to a consortium of GE Renewable Energy and Elecnor for the construction of a 412MW wind farm known as Goyder South Stage 1.
The wind farm will consist of 75 GE 5.5-158 Cypress turbines, a model that has been widely deployed in Australia and across the world. The power plant will be connected to ElectraNet’s Robertstown substation via a new transmission line.
Early works have commenced, and with supplementary approvals finalised, major construction works are scheduled to start in Q2 2022. The wind farm is expected to be operational in 2024.
Neoen intends to sell a significant volume of the energy generated under long-term power purchase agreements and has already secured a 14-year contract with the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Government for 100MW.
As part of this winning bid, Neoen committed to build a large-scale battery in the ACT outside of the Goyder Renewables Zone, and construction of this 100MW Capital Battery commenced in December.
Goyder South Stage 1 is the first part of Neoen’s Goyder Renewables Zone, a flagship project combining wind, solar and storage, located near Burra in South Australia’s Mid North region.
Goyder South has received development approval for a total of 1200MW of wind generation, 600MW of solar generation and 900MW of battery storage capacity, making it the State’s largest renewable project.
Louis de Sambucy, Neoen Australia’s Managing Director said: “We are delighted to start building the first stage of our Goyder Renewables Zone, Neoen’s most competitive giga-project.
“We look forward to building on this strong foundation, adding solar and batteries into the future to deliver firm 24/7 renewable energy. We would like to thank the South Australian and ACT Governments for their continued support and renewed trust.
“With this world class project, we are privileged to be supporting South Australia’s ambition to be a renewable energy exporter and contributing to the ACT’s target of net zero emissions by 2045.”