Metlen Energy and Metals, previously operating under the Mytilineos name, has confirmed that its 120 MW Munna Creek Solar Farm near Gympie in southeast Queensland has finished commissioning and is now operating at full capacity, according to pv-magazine.com.
The announcement makes Munna Creek the second solar project in Queensland to reach completion within a week, following Acciona Energía’s confirmation that its 380 MW Aldoga Solar Farm has officially begun operations.
The project reaches this milestone three months after being registered within the market operator’s grid management system and around 18 months after construction work commenced.
Situated roughly 40 kilometres northwest of Gympie in Queensland’s Fraser Coast region, the Munna Creek Solar Farm is forecast to produce around 300,000 MWh of renewable electricity each year-enough to supply the annual power needs of approximately 41,100 average Australian households.
A significant portion of the plant’s output has been secured through power purchase agreements (PPAs) with Telstra and government-owned digital infrastructure provider NBN Co.
Under the agreements, Telstra will purchase 50% of the energy generated by the facility, while NBN Co will acquire 59 GWh per year-around 20% of total expected production-through a 10-year PPA.
This marks NBN Co’s third renewable energy offtake arrangement. The company’s previous agreements are tied to Lightsource bp’s 75 MW West Wyalong Solar Farm in the Riverina region of New South Wales and AGL’s 420 MW Macarthur Wind Farm in southwest Victoria. NBN Co has contracted about 90 GWh annually from West Wyalong and is also buying roughly 90 GWh each year from the Macarthur Wind Farm.
NBN Co regional and remote chief development officer Gavin Williams said the three offtake deals enable the company-one of the country’s largest electricity consumers-to source all of its electricity from renewable generation.
“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, adding that “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.”
NBN Co is aiming to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across its operations and value chain by 2045.
Source: pv-magazine.com
