Elecnor bolsters activity in Australia with a 25 MW solar photovoltaic plant
Situated in Barcaldine in the state of Queensland, the facility will have 79,000 panels and its estimated annual output will be equivalent to the consumption of 5,300 householdsThe project is receiving funding support from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and debt finance from the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC)The company is already present in Australia, where it is currently building a 70 MW solar photovoltaic plant in New South Wales for Fotowatio
Madrid, 9 December 2015.- Elecnor, one of the leading companies in the renewable energy sector, is extending its development activity in Australia through the construction of a 25 MW solar photovoltaic plant in Barcaldine in the state of Queensland. The total outlay will be AUD 69 million (around EUR 47.3 million at the prevailing exchange rate).
The project is debt financed by the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC), an Australian government-owned financial institution with offices in Sydney and Brisbane and specialising in the financing of projects related to renewables and energy efficiency. It is also receiving funding support from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) under its Regional Renewable Energy Programme. ARENA's objectives are to improve the competitiveness of renewable energy technologies and to increase the supply of renewable energy in Australia.
The Barcaldine solar PV plant will be built on a 90 hectare site. Its 79,000 photovoltaic panels will generate an estimated annual output of 56,000 MWh, sufficient to satisfy the consumption requirements of 5,300 households.
This project is in addition to the one that Elecnor has been carrying out as an EPC company in another Australian state (New South Wales) for Moree Solar Farm Pty Ltd, which is part of Fotowatio Renewables Venture (FRV). It is a EUR 95 million plant with a nameplate capacity of 70 MW.
In another renewables field, namely wind energy, Elecnor recently secured administrative authorisation to develop a 210 MW wind farm in the state of Victoria through its subsidiary Enerfin.
Experience in solar photovoltaic energy
Since first embarking in the sector a decade ago, Elecnor has installed around 500 MW in solar photovoltaic facilities, ground-based and also roof-top. More than 180 of these installations are in international markets, specifically the US, France, Italy, Portugal, Argentina, Mauritania, Abu Dhabi and Australia (the above-mentioned Moree facility in New South Wales).
In this sector, Elecnor combines its construction know-how with the skills of its subsidiary Atersa, which develops project engineering solutions, distributes products and manufactures modules and electronics for solar photovoltaic energy at its Almussafes plant in Valencia region.
Expansion in Australia
Elecnor operates in Australia through a Melbourne-headquartered subsidiary established in 2014, which focuses on the development of business infrastructure and renewable energies in this and other countries in Oceania.
This is the result of an international expansion strategy at Elecnor, which has chosen Australia as the base for its operations in the Asia-Pacific region.