Neoen has commenced full-scale commercial operation at its Numurkah Solar Farm in Victoria.
Located on the Goulburn Valley Highway in northern Victoria, the $198 million 128 MWp solar farm owned and developed by Neoen is the largest in the state. With 373,839 solar panels installed, it spans 515 hectares.
The facility will produce 255 GWh of emission-free, clean, competitive renewable energy per annum – the equivalent of taking 77,000 cars off the road each year and enough to power 48,000 Victorian households.
It will power Melbourne’s tram network and the Laverton steel works.
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Victoria’s Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change The Hon. Lily D’Ambrosio was in attendance at the official opening and said, “the Numurkah Solar Farm will play an important role in supporting the transformation of our energy network towards clean, renewable energy and reaching our renewable energy target of 50 per cent by 2030.”
The Green Certificates Purchase Agreement with the Victorian Government and its wider support for renewable energy development has been instrumental in making Numurkah possible. It has also benefited from a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with GFG Alliance’s SIMEC ZEN Energy.
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Besides supplying more sustainable, reliable and competitive energy to Australians, Neoen is committed to local development and community growth. In addition to creating almost 300 jobs for the Numurkah region during construction, and a variety of employment opportunities during the solar farm’s service life, Neoen has established a Numurkah Solar Farm Community Fund to provide financial support to community groups to grow the region.
The Clean Energy Finance Corporation, which provided $56 million in loans towards the project, described Numurkah Solar Farm as a “path-breaking example of how solar energy can deliver a cost-effective solution for Victoria’s energy-intensive manufacturers”.
