An Australian-first autonomous robotic piling system is being trialled during construction of ENGIE’s Goorambat East Solar Farm.
Situated in Benalla, northern Victoria, the 250MW project is currently the largest under construction in the state and is being delivered by ENGIE, its engineering, procurement and construction contractor, Bouygues Construction Australia, and Equans Solar and Storage.
ENGIE said that the autonomous piling system speeds up the process of installing the piles – the foundations for the solar panel installations – and can potentially run 24/7. The utility said the trial of this new technology factors in to ENGIE’s thinking around how it could potentially improve the construction of solar farms in harsh environments or desert areas.
ENGIE General Manager of Engineering and Asset Delivery, Leigh Newbery, said that the Built Robotics autonomous robotic piling machine has exciting prospects for the future.
“It requires skilled technicians to operate it, thus upskilling the current renewable energy workforce and enabling more productivity,” Mr Newbery said.
“The intended higher productivity will reduce the cost of renewable energy projects and enable projects to be built in less time – which will bring down energy costs for consumers and potentially allow more renewables to be built.
“Use of machines like this could also have large benefits for the construction of solar farms in remote and inhospitable areas, such as is deserts, where the climate could be dangerous for human staff.”
Bouygues Construction Australia’s Project Director, Bastien Sauvet, said that the autonomous piling system uses advanced AI, GPS and sensor technology to precisely drive piles with minimal human oversight, boosting efficiency and accuracy.
“This marks a major step in automating utility-scale solar construction, reducing costs, and accelerating timelines while maintaining high safety standards,” he said.
Mr Newbery said that in the longer term, with continued development, machines like this will also enable a reduction in health and safety related risks from construction projects, including manual handling.
“Autonomous robotic machines like this may also allow installation to occur around the clock, if noise impacts on local residents and near neighbours can be managed,” he said.
“The Built Robotics autonomous robotic piling machine Bouygues are trailing uses a different technology to drive the structural piles into the ground, substantially reducing noise created by up to 20 per cent.”
Mr Newbery also provided a progress update on the Goorambat East Solar Farm, and said that construction is continuing at pace.
“The plan is for the piling to be completed around the end of June 2025.
“Installation of the solar panels started last month and we are making very good progress,” he said.
“Our construction contractor, Bouygues Construction Australia, is managing the on-site works and we are currently peaking at approximately 240 people on-site for the construction, while our dedicated project team – including around 50 specialised staff in design, consulting and management – ensures every detail is meticulously managed.”
ENGIE said that Mr Newbery’s deep personal connection to the region further underscores its commitment to community integration.
“I grew up just under an hour north of the Goorambat East Solar Farm project, on a farm in Burramine, just outside of Yarrawonga in northern Victoria,” Mr Newbery said.
“Seeing these projects create long-term employment and sustainable infrastructure in rural areas is incredibly satisfying. It’s about giving people a reason to stay in or return to their communities.
“Once the Goorambat East Solar Farm is built and commissioned in 2026, it will have a generating capacity of up to 250MW, which is enough to power up to 105,000 average Victorian homes.”
Mr Newbery explained that globally, ENGIE builds projects to own and operate through their entire lifecycle and this integrated approach allows the company to glean international insights from operational performance, feeding data back into future designs and construction practices.
“By leveraging a robust internal research and development team based in Belgium, alongside a global engineering network in Paris and other key hubs, ENGIE is able to benchmark its projects across 30 countries,” he said.
“For example, we will be able to compare the performance of the LONGi solar panels in Australia, against ENGIE’s solar farms in Southern California or South Africa, which helps us fine-tune every element of the project.”
