Iberdrola has begun commissioning its world’s first hybrid wind and solar project in Port Augusta, Australia, after being registered on the National Electricity Market by the Australian Energy Market Operator. This renewable facility, located in the state of South Australia, combines 210 MW of wind power with 107 MW of photovoltaic power and involves an investment of A$500 million.
Composed of 50 wind turbines and 250,000 solar panels, the complex is the largest wind-solar hybrid park in the Southern Hemisphere. The plant will prevent emissions of 400,000 tonnes of CO2 per year and will be able to generate enough clean energy to supply demand equivalent to the consumption of 180,000 Australian homes.
The project thus enters the full production phase with the commissioning of the photovoltaic modules, which are added to the wind part of the facility which started the first tests last April to export energy to the grid.
The project, which has created 200 jobs during its construction, has had the participation of local, global and Spanish suppliers. In particular, the Spanish Elecnor has been the company in charge of building the plant’s substation and transmission line, as well as storage areas and access roads. Vestas, for its part, has manufactured and installed 50 wind turbines of 4.2 MW unit capacity at the wind farm; Longi supplied the solar panels for the photovoltaic plant and Sterling&Wilson is in charge of its construction.
The commissioning of Port Augusta will make a significant contribution to the achievement of the ambitious goals of South Australia, which hopes to achieve 100% renewable energy by 2030. Apart from facilitating decarbonisation, the installation will help in reducing electricity prices of consumers and advance in energy self-sufficiency. To generate the same amount of energy that Port Augusta would produce with a conventional combined cycle, approximately 155 million cubic meters of gas per year would be required.
Iberdrola, a growing market leader Iberdrola has made a strong commitment to the Australian energy market. The company plans to make a major investment of up to 3,000 million euros in the country with the aim of reaching 4,000 renewable MW in the coming years.
Iberdrola has already committed more than 1,000 million Australian dollars (about 700 million euros) in new renewable development projects, such as the Avonlea Solar Farm in south-west New South Wales, and Flyers Creek Wind in central New South Wales form.
The company also acquired the rights to the world’s largest wind farm at 1,000 MW Mount James, a 360 MW Broadsound photovoltaic plant in Queensland, and has invested in Autonomous Energy, a smart solutions business that provides bespoke energy products for commercial and industrial companies. offers. ,
Currently, the company has installed 1,062 MW of renewables (wind, solar and battery) and is building two new facilities with a combined capacity of 391 MW to be commissioned in 2023.
With these investments, Iberdrola has a mature portfolio of more than 2,000 MW in development projects that will facilitate the consolidation of renewable energy as the main vector of energy transition in the country.
The electricity market in Australia is undergoing a vast transformation, moving from a centralized generation system based on large fossil fuel facilities (coal and gas) to a distributed generation system, primarily wind and solar power.
Iberdrola Group was a pioneer in its commitment to a sustainable development strategy based on promoting the electrification of the economy through investments in renewable energy, electrical networks and energy storage. Thanks to this vision, the company is today a world leader in renewable energy with over 39,000 MW of installed renewable capacity worldwide, and is leading the energy transition towards a low-emissions economy and energy self-sufficiency.
