The Wandoan South solar project is being developed near Wandoan in Queensland, Australia, by renewable energy developer Vena Energy.
The solar project is part of the Wandoan South project, which was approved by the Western Downs Regional Council in 2017. The Wandoan South project is a multi-staged development that includes solar power generation and battery energy storage.
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The first stage of the Wandoan South Battery Energy Storage System was commissioned in August 2022. It has the capacity to store up to 150MWh of energy and deliver 100MW to the grid.
Stage one of the Wandoan South solar project will have a capacity of 125MW. The environment and social impact assessment (ESIA) summary for the project was released in October 2022. Construction activities related to the solar farm commenced in April 2022, and commercial operations are expected to begin in the second quarter (Q2) of 2023.
The first stage of the solar farm is expected to have an annual production capacity of up to 365Gwh of energy, which is estimated to be enough to supply clean renewable energy to approximately 60,000 Australian households.
Wandoan South solar project location
The Wandoan South Solar Project is being built 400km north-west of Brisbane in the Darling Downs region of southern Queensland. The total area for the planned development of the project is 1,336ha, out of which 514ha will be used for the development of stage one.
Project details
Stage one of the Wandoan South solar project will comprise approximately 256,320 bifacial solar panels, which will allow absorption of irradiance from both the front and rear of the panel.
The panels will be installed on single-axis tracking mounts, which will track the sun as it moves from east to west.
The solar farm is already connected to Powerlink’s Wandoan South substation, located to the south of the project site. The substation is connected to the 275kV Juandah substation through an underground cable.
The connection to the wider electricity grid will make clean energy available to an expanded customer base and meet the high electricity demand in the Surat Basin.
The expected lifespan of the project is 30 years, following which the project will either be decommissioned or re-energised.
Financing
Financial closure for stage one of the solar project was achieved in October 2022.
Vena Energy secured agreements with DBS, ING, OCBC Bank, Intesa Sanpaolo and SMBC for the provision of debt and ancillary facilities for stage one of the project.
DBS was appointed as the joint-green structuring bank, financial model coordinator and facility agent. SMBC served as the technical coordinator and project account bank, while Intesa Sanpaolo acted as a joint-green structuring bank.
Contractors involved in the Wandoan South solar power project
Global solar energy developer Gransolar Group was contracted to deliver stage one of the project. The company is responsible for overseeing the development of the project through its subsidiaries and external contractors. The contractual scope includes design, procurement, construction, commissioning, operations and maintenance of stage one of the solar farm.
