Wedoany.com Report-May 1, Acciona Energia, a Spanish renewable energy company, has finished building the 380 MW Aldoga Solar Farm near Gladstone, Queensland, in just 12 months. The AUD 500 million project was completed seven months earlier than planned. The solar farm began supplying 850 kW of electricity to Australia’s National Electricity Market (NEM) as part of its commissioning, which is set to conclude by the end of 2025.

“Large-scale solar projects are one of the fastest and most affordable means of delivering new electricity into the NEM,” said Brett Wickham, Acciona’s Managing Director. “We’ve delivered this milestone project safely and faster than expected. It’s a credit to the 350 men and women who have built it.”

The Aldoga Solar Farm features around 820,000 solar panels and uses steel components made in Australia. Acciona collaborated with Nextracker, a global solar equipment supplier, and Orrcon Steel in Brisbane to source local materials, supporting the development of a sustainable supply chain for renewable energy projects.

“We’re incredibly proud to be one of the foundation customers for Nextracker and Orrcon as they work to establish a long-term local steel and manufacturing supply chain for solar farms,” Wickham said.

When fully operational, the solar farm will provide all its electricity to Stanwell, a Queensland government-owned energy company, under a 15-year power purchase agreement. This arrangement supports Stanwell’s goal to expand its renewable energy portfolio.

“Stanwell will offtake 100% of the output from the Aldoga Solar Farm,” said Michael O’Rourke, Stanwell’s CEO. “This energy will be sold into the spot market or retailed to our commercial and industrial customers, ensuring that they receive affordable, reliable and sustainable energy, now and into the future.”

Stanwell aims to achieve 9 to 10 GW of renewable energy generation and 5 GW of firming capacity by 2035. The company has already secured over 4 GW of renewable energy and firming capacity through projects that are operational, under construction, or in development. The Aldoga Solar Farm marks a key step in providing clean, reliable energy to meet Queensland’s growing needs.