Australia's AirTrunk Signs Exclusive Agreement to Develop 610 MW New Energy Project

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On November 12, Australian data center operator AirTrunk signed an exclusive agreement with the Australian subsidiary of Danish renewable energy developer European Energy to advance solar, wind and battery energy storage projects in the Hunter region of New South Wales. The proposed works include a 260 MW solar farm, a battery energy storage system with a capacity exceeding 800 MWh, and a wind farm with a maximum installed capacity of 350 MW, with the solar and wind projects together planned for a combined generating capacity of up to approximately 610 MW.

All three projects are located in the Hunter-Central Coast Renewable Energy Zone. The two parties are advancing project development and discussing potential long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs), with the new green electricity intended to meet the power demand of AirTrunk's data centers in New South Wales, including the planned Kurri Kurri data center campus.

The 260 MW solar farm and 350 MW wind farm constitute the main new generating facilities, while the battery energy storage system of more than 800 MWh serves the functions of electricity storage and regulation. Energy storage capacity is measured in megawatt-hours, which is not the same metric as the megawatts used for a plant's generating power. By deploying energy storage facilities, the projects can store a portion of the electricity as solar and wind output varies, and schedule discharges according to power demand and grid operating conditions.

European Energy plans to connect to the regional power system via the upgraded Ausgrid 132 kV grid. The project connection scheme still requires final technical assessment and grid connection arrangements, with related work to proceed in parallel with the construction of the generating facilities. Under the current plan, the solar farm and battery energy storage system are expected to begin operation in 2030, and the wind farm in 2032.

The collaboration builds on the two parties' existing Australian projects. On November 5, 2026, European Energy and AirTrunk officially commissioned the 31 MW Mulwala solar farm in New South Wales; the plant has completed construction, energization and commissioning and has reached full-load operation, with its output supplied mainly to AirTrunk through long-term power purchase arrangements and the remainder fed into the local grid. The project also plans to include a 25 MW/100 MWh battery energy storage system.

AirTrunk has set a goal of matching all of its electricity consumption with renewable energy by 2030. The company disclosed that in fiscal year 2026, approximately 73% of the electricity consumption of its data center portfolio was already matched with renewable energy. As the scale of data center construction in Australia expands, new generating projects, energy storage facilities and long-term power purchase arrangements will become an important part of its energy supply planning.