Western Downs Green Power Hub
| Western Downs Green Power Hub | |
|---|---|
| Country | Australia |
| Location | 22km southeast of Chinchilla, Queensland |
| Coordinates | 26°57′18″S 150°40′37″E / 26.955°S 150.677°E |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | June 2020 |
| Construction cost | $600 million[1] |
| Owner | Neoen |
| Operator | |
| Solar farm | |
| Type | Flat-panel PV |
| Collectors | 1,000,000 |
| Site area | 1,500 hectares (3,700 acres) |
| Power generation | |
| Nameplate capacity | 400 MW |
| External links | |
| Website | https://westerndownsgreenpowerhub.com.au/ |
The Western Downs Green Power Hub is a large renewable energy project owned and operated by Neoen[2] near Chinchilla in Queensland, Australia. It consists of The 460 MWp (direct current) Western Downs Solar Farm and a 540 MW / 1080 MWh grid battery. The solar farm consists of over one million solar panels to generate 400 megawatts of (alternating current) power.[3] It utilizes 72-cell bi-facial solar modules on single-axis trackers; a system that tracks the sun throughout the day.[4] It was the largest solar farm in Australia for some time.[4]
The 1,500 hectare solar farm is owned and operated by Neoen. The state government-owned renewable energy operator CleanCo Queensland has signed an agreement to purchase 80% of the project's capacity.[3]
Construction began in June 2020.[1] The solar farm was built by Sterling & Wilson.[1] Exports to the grid had begun by August 2022.[5] The final solar panel was installed on 1 May 2023.[6] The event was attended by state premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.[6]
The 540 MW / 1080 MWh big battery is being built in 2 stages. Construction of Stage 1 of the battery had begun by January 2023,[7] and completed with grid forming inverters in June 2025.[8] Construction of Stage 2 began in August 2024. The PV station and battery, along with two other batteries, are connected to the national grid via the Western Downs substation and a new 275 kilovolt line constructed by Powerlink Queensland.[9] Battery containers for a 270MW/540MWh section are made in Shanghai.[10]
See also
References
- ^ a b c "Western Downs Green Power Hub, Queensland". Power Technology. Verdict Media. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
- ^ "Western Downs Green Power Hub - Cleaner energy for QLD". Retrieved 13 June 2025.
- ^ a b Carroll, David (6 April 2023). "Final panel installed as Australia's largest solar farm nears full capacity". pv magazine. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
- ^ a b "Western Downs Green Power Hub". NS Energy. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
- ^ Carroll, David (22 August 2022). "Australia's largest solar farm begins exporting to grid". pv magazine. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
- ^ a b "Final solar panel installed". Western Downs Green Power Hub. 1 May 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
- ^ "Battery Update: 2023". Western Downs Green Power Hub. 9 January 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
- ^ "Sunshine state's biggest battery completed as a new four-hour battery seals connection deal". RenewEconomy. 16 June 2025.
- ^ R., Luwela (5 April 2023). "Construction of the 400MW Western Downs Green Power Hub completed". Australian Resources. Digital Media News. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
- ^ "First China-made Tesla Megapack batteries on their way to big Australian storage project". RenewEconomy. 27 March 2025.