Australia’s biggest hybrid wind and solar farm about to start production

The biggest hybrid wind and solar farm in Australia – the 317MW Port Augusta Renewable Energy Park – is about to begin production after getting the green light from the Australian Energy Market Operator.

The facility – owned by Spanish renewable energy giant Iberdrola – plans to begin exports from the 210MW wind component of the facility in the coming days after being told by AEMO that it was ready for registration and has been loaded up in AEMO’s management system.

That means that the wind component will steadily ramp up output as it goes through various “hold point” testing. It hopes to complete commissioning for the wind farm component by the middle of this year.

The 107MW solar farm component on the hybrid project is understood to be in its final stages of completion, with registration expected to be achieved soon. That will enable the solar farm to also start its progression through hold point testing and full commissioning.

The addition of the hybrid facility will enable another big leap for the state of South Australia towards its goal of “net 100 per cent renewables” by 2030. It is already at a world-leading share of wind and solar of around 64 per cent over the last 12 months, according to AEMO.

In reality, the target is expected to be reached well before then, with the second stage of the Lincoln Gap wind farm under construction, along with the first 412MW wind stage of the massive Goyder South project near Robertstown.

Goyder South, owned by French renewable and storage developer Neoen, will leapfrog the Port Augusta facility as the biggest hybrid plant should it proceed with its plans to build up to 1200MW of wind, 600MW of solar and 900MW and 1800MWh of battery storage.