Stanwell has signed a 15-year deal to purchase renewable energy from Genex’s Bulli Creek Solar Farm – set to become the largest grid-connected solar farm in Australia.
Stanwell Asset Maintenance Company (SAMCo) has also signed a five-year contract to deliver operations and maintenance (O&M) services for Genex’s 50MW Kidston Solar Farm.
Stanwell CEO, Michael O’Rourke, said, “Our partnership with Genex is an essential element of Stanwell’s portfolio transformation and will accelerate the delivery of our renewable energy pipeline in line with the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan.
“This new power purchase agreement is another exciting step towards Stanwell’s target of 9–10GW of renewable energy generation by 2035.
“SAMCo’s contract also locks in additional jobs in the renewable sector and showcases our ability to leverage our highly skilled workforce and experience to optimise the performance of renewable energy assets like those at Kidston Solar Farm.”
Genex Power Limited CEO, Craig Francis, said that Genex is delighted to expand its partnership with Stanwell as it continues to grow its portfolio of renewable generation and storage projects.
“The 15-year offtake agreement at Bulli Creek will enable Genex to progress the project swiftly toward a final investment decision later this year, delivering 775MW of new renewable energy capacity in Queensland from 2027,” Mr Francis said.
The new deal spans two projects: the Bulli Creek Solar Farm – 125km south-west of Toowoomba – and the Kidston Solar Farm in Far North Queensland.
Bulli Creek Stage 1 Solar Farm
Bulli Creek Stage 1 Solar Farm is a 775MW/2234GWh solar facility being co-developed by Genex and J-Power and is set to become the largest grid-connected solar farm in Australia once in operation.
Under a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA), Stanwell will purchase up to 550MW from Bulli Creek Stage 1 Solar Farm – the first phase of a multi-stage development at the Bulli Creek Clean Energy Park that will include up to 2GW of solar and large-scale battery storage.
Up to 800 construction jobs are expected to be created on the project, which is due to commence in early 2025. A further 20 operational jobs will be created once complete.
Kidston Solar Farm
The Kidston Solar Farm contract marks SAMCo’s second solar O&M deal, providing four permanent roles at the site, supported by a travelling service technician team.
Stanwell launched SAMCo in November 2023 to provide operations and maintenance services to renewable energy projects throughout Queensland, creating new training and job opportunities for its workforce.
SAMCo is scheduled to commence at Kidston in late October 2024 and will manage electricity operations; scheduled inspections; maintenance and repairs to all the panels, inverters and high voltage systems; routine cleaning of the panels to maximise electricity generation; grass and weed control in and around the site; and maintenance of the fire break around the facility.
Stanwell and Genex are also investigating the opportunity for SAMCo to deliver future O&M services at the Bulli Creek site.
Featured image: Stanwell.
