A small solar farm that was originated by Swedish renewables developer OX2 and then bought and built by Danish outfit European Energy has powered up on the New South Wales border with Victoria, awaiting the addition of a four-hour battery.
European Energy announced late last week that the 31 megawatt (MW) Mulwala Solar Farm had successfully completed full-output testing and is now operating at full output in the NSW Riverina district, with a 25 MW/100 megawatt-hour (MWh) battery still to come.
European Energy bought the shovel ready solar farm from OX2 in the second half of 2024 alongside the 108 MW Lancaster solar farm in Victoria, and by June 2025 had secured a $A130 million financing package for the two projects through Westpac and the Singapore branch of Germany’s DZ Bank.
Mulwala also came with a power purchase agreement (PPA), signed in late-2023 with AirTrunk and Google for 25 MW of the site’s generation. The deal will see AirTrunk procure energy generated by the solar farm and associated large-scale generation certificates will be time-matched to Google’s consumption.
“Having Mulwala operating at full output is an important step for our activities in Australia,” said Catriona McLeod, VP and head of European Energy Australia
“We have taken the project through development, construction, energisation and commissioning, and we are now delivering renewable electricity in New South Wales.
“The majority of the green electricity is going to AirTrunk, with a portion of the energy uncontracted and simply feeding into the grid for energy consumers in New South Wales.”
Sabooh Whitelaw, associate vice president of utility and energy at AirTrunk said the Mulwala PPA showed how long-term demand from digital infrastructure could support new renewable generation and contribute to Australia’s energy transition.
“Partnerships like this can also create meaningful opportunities for local communities,” said Whitelaw.
European Energy currently has a development pipeline of roughly 10 gigawatts (GW) of solar, onshore wind and battery storage projects in Australia, and has struck a number of offtake deals with a range of global tech giants to underpin them.
Amazon, for instance, has off-take deals for European Energy’s Mokoan, Winton North and Bullyard solar projects in Victoria and Queensland, while Apple last year signed up to a long-term PPA with the Lancaster solar farm near Kyanbram.
European Energy is also developing the massive e 1.3 GW Upper Calliope solar project in Queensland, which is underpinned by a contract with Rio Tinto to help power its smelters and refineries in Gladstone, where the mining company plans to close down the coal generator in 2029.
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Joshua S Hill
Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.
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