The Queensland Government has announced a short list of 10 renewable energy projects following a reverse auction process for 400MW of capacity, including up to 100MW of storage, that drew more than 100 applications.
The 10 projects, listed below, will submit their bids to government-owned energy corporation CleanCo.
Queensland’s Renewables 400 initiative will give the state a much-needed boost towards its 50% Renewable Energy Target by 2030, the Clean Energy Council said.
Clean Energy Council CEO Kane Thornton said the program would provide much needed certainty for projects that will create jobs and investment in regional parts of the state, as well as providing clean energy to Queensland’s electricity system and reducing the cost of power for residents and businesses.
“We are very pleased to see the Renewables 400 progressing as part of a portfolio of projects that will be managed by the new publicly-owned power generator CleanCo as of the end of October this year,” Thornton said.
In an energised state
In 2018 renewable sources made up 9.5% of generation in the Queensland, according to the CEC’s Clean Energy Australia Report 2019.
This is set to grow as solar, wind and pumped hydro projects are gradually approved and delivered.
Last year, more than a third of clean energy projects commissioned around the country were located in Queensland, including more than 1GW of large-scale solar. The state also hosts more than 2.4GW of solar systems under 100kW.
In February this year 727MW of large-scale solar was under construction in Queensland and more than 15GW was in varying stages of proposal, according to data from Rystad Energy.
The Australian Energy Market Commission predicts that wholesale power prices should fall over the next couple of years as projects are commissioned, Thornton said.
“Queensland absolutely has the potential to be a national
leader in renewable energy, though challenges remain with grid congestion and
connection.”
The short-listed projects shown below include solar and wind farms, some of which include battery storage.
