Interview: Nadia Howland
Energy Source & Distribution gets to know Laura Caspari, ENGIE Australia’s Chief Renewables Officer & Managing Director.
Tell us a bit about yourself personally and professionally:
I’m originally from Gippsland, Victoria, and now live in Melbourne with my husband John and our four-year-old daughter, Zoe.
My background is in ecology, and I care deeply about helping to tackle climate change, as I view this as the most serious threat of our times. The continued growth in renewable energy is the most impactful way to meet the challenge and ensure a safe future for our children, so this is where I chose to focus my efforts.
I began my career in renewables in western Victoria, spending three years developing wind farm projects from 2006-09.
I then spent 15 years working in the renewable energy industry in the United States, progressing from the early days of knocking on doors to sign land leases with people who had never heard of wind turbines, to eventually leading ENGIE’s commercial teams in the US and Canada. We were responsible for acquisitions of 10GW of wind, solar and storage projects in the USA in 2022/23 and signed an industry leading 1.2GW of power purchase agreements (PPAs) in 2023.
It was a pleasure watching the renewables industry in the USA mature, initially in fits and starts, into the powerhouse we knew it would eventually be. I’m so fortunate to have played a part in that and would now like to do the same in Australia.
In aid of this I have recently returned to Melbourne to head up ENGIE Australia’s Renewable Energy Business Unit.
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What does your role at ENGIE involve?
ENGIE is a global energy player and a pioneer of the energy transition. Globally we are striving to make the energy transition affordable and reliable, and our commitment is to be net zero carbon by 2045. The company’s focus is on growth and decarbonisation, and in Australia we are committed to delivering 3GW of renewable energy by 2030.
In Australia, ENGIE is the perfect example of the energy transition in action, from decommissioning the Hazelwood Coal Power Station in 2016 and now working to rehabilitate the neighbouring mine, to building the battery energy storage system (BESS) on the same site in 2023 and starting work on the largest solar farm under construction in Victoria in 2024.
My role involves leading the renewables business in Australia in developing, constructing, and operating our pipeline of wind, solar, and battery projects. At present I am focused on setting the strategy for our Renewable Energy Business Unit in Australia, to ensure we continue to expand our renewables portfolio and meet our targets.
What have been some of the biggest goals kicked at ENGIE during 2024?
In mid-August we reached financial close for our 250MW Goorambat East Solar Farm project in northern Victoria and began early construction works, before holding a sod turning ceremony in late October with the Victorian Energy Minister, the Hon. Lily D’Ambrosio. It is currently the biggest solar farm under construction in the state, with construction and commissioning expected to be finished in 2026. At its maximum capacity the solar farm could generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of 105,000 average Victorian homes.
In mid-September ENGIE also welcomed the New South Wales Government Independent Planning Commission’s approval for us to build our Hills of Gold Wind Farm near Nundle and Tamworth, in the north-east of the state. Our plan is to build 62 wind turbines at the site, with a generating capacity of up to 372MW. At maximum capacity, this project could produce enough renewable energy to power up to 163,000 average New South Wales homes.
Both of these projects represent significant new private investment into regional Victoria and New South Wales, with nearly 650 new jobs expected to be created during construction.
Any projects or plans on the horizon for the coming year that you can share with us?
We are currently bidding to secure grid access for a major renewable energy project south of Hay in New South Wales, within the South West Renewable Energy Zone (REZ). The Plains Renewable Energy Project may include up to a maximum of 188 wind turbines, possibly up to 290m tall, and more than 900,000 solar panels, backed up by a battery with a capacity of up to 400MW/1.6GWh.
If built at maximum size, the multi-technology project would have a generating capacity of up to 1,900MW, which is the equivalent of powering up to 1.17 million average New South Wales homes—or a city around the size of Adelaide.
The Plains project is ideally suited to take advantage of very good solar and wind resources, and importantly the wind commonly blows overnight and early in the morning in this area, when the sun isn’t shining, meaning that it could potentially generate power all day. At full scale, and especially if backed by a battery, the project could act almost like a large source of baseload power generation.
Finally, and most importantly, the project has strong support from the local community in Hay, with no local opposition submissions lodged, which is almost unheard of in Australia.
Related article: ENGIE breaks ground on Victoria’s biggest solar farm
If you could personally implement one change in Australia’s energy transition, what would it be?
The main difference I’ve noticed between the renewable energy industry in the USA and Australia is the speed of planning approvals.
In Australia it can take many years to get a project approved, particularly in New South Wales or Victoria, while in the USA, a project can go from conception to being approved much more rapidly.
The problem we often have in Australia is that federal and state energy and planning departments are sometimes not talking to each other or working well together. Federal and state governments and energy departments are setting strong targets around decarbonisation and building renewable energy, but projects are taking too long to get approved, which is putting these targets at risk.
We need planning and energy departments to be on the same team and we need streamlined approval processes to ensure good renewable energy projects get built, which would lower power prices for Australians. Part of this could also involve acknowledging the vital role renewable energy is playing in reducing Australia’s emissions and helping to tackle climate change and worsening extreme weather.
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working?
Outside of work I enjoy spending time with my family, doing Pilates, cycling, visiting the beach, political podcasts, and enjoying a good cup of tea.
