Enel and the Dutch Infrastructure Fund (DIF) have started construction of Australia’s largest solar PV project.
The two partners said that the project has received its final consent, allowing construction to start on Bungala Solar One, located near Port Augusta in South Australia.
A second phase – Bungala Solar Two – is scheduled to start construction before the end of 2017, Enel said.
The two phases will together generate 275 MW and are fully contracted with long-term power purchase agreements with Australian utility Origin Energy. The project will be completed by 2019.
Bungala Solar One will cover an area of 300 hectares and consist of around 420 000 polycrystalline PV modules mounted on single-axis tracker structures. Enel will invest a total of $157 million across the project’s two phases.
Antonio Cammisecra, Head of Enel Green Power, said: “This project marks the first step of our growth strategy in a country which boasts such an abundant resource base and whose renewable capacity is expected to surge in the next years. Against this backdrop, Enel Green Power aims to become a key player in Australia’s green energy sector.”
