The 120 megawatt (MW) Munna Creek solar farm is now operating, and comes with the distinction of being the last project required to make NBN Co’s electricity supply completely renewable.
The Munna Creek solar project, owned by Greek company Metlen, is the second new solar farm to announce its completion in the past week, following Acciona’s bigger 380 MW Aldoga solar farm.
Munna Creek, near Gympie, is contracted under a power purchase agreement (PPA) to deliver 59 Gigawatt hours (GWh) per year to NBN Co, or about 20 per cent of total generation.
It is NBN Co’s third PPA, the others being for 90 GWh a year from the the 90 MW West Wyalong solar farm in the Riverina area of New South Wales which came online in 2023, and the equivalent from the 420 MW Macarthur wind farm in Victoria.
The three offtake agreements mean the company can meet all of its energy needs from renewable energy, said NBN Co’s Gavin Williams.
“We set a target in 2021, and with the successful completion of the Munna Creek Solar Farm, we are delivering on our commitments,” he said in a statement.
“Expanding the use of renewable energy sources and investing in energy efficiency, including deployment of fibre, enables us to drive down our emissions and operating costs.”
The company has a target to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in its operations and across the value chain by 2045.
The Munna Creek solar farm comprises 255,000 solar panels and hired about 150 during the build.
Overall electricity generated by the solar farm is expected to be enough to power the equivalent of 41,100 Australian homes.
NBN Co was not its only corporate buyer: Telstra signed up to take half its output before the digital infrastructure company signed its own deal, in September 2023.
Corporate PPAs have been a backbone for renewable energy projects, directly contracting for about a fifth of capacity between 2017 and 2024.
Most of them however are short term. According to Chris Briggs, corporate buyers are not equipped to provide the longer-term financial support that projects need, and they alone can’t fill the offtaker gap projects need to reach financial close – situation that the Nelson review on markets is seeking to address.
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Rachel Williamson
Rachel Williamson is a science and business journalist, who focuses on climate change-related health and environmental issues.
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