Canadian Solar buys up S.A. solar farm, confirms PPA with Flow Power

The 30MW solar and battery-ready Mannum Solar Farm proposed for development in the South Australian town of the same name has been bought by Canadian Solar, and will help to power Mid-Murray region agribusinesses, including major wine maker Pernod Ricard.

The acquisition, announced by Tetris Energy – the Melbourne firm behind the solar proposal – follows the news in December that the project had secured a Power Purchase Agreement for both the electricity and the LGCs for the full output of the project.

The PPA, which has now been revealed to be between Canadian Solar and renewable corporate retailer Flow Power, will support the first phase of development of the solar farm – a 5MW installation that will begin this month.

That is to be followed by a second, 25MW stage, which is expected to get underway later this year.

In a statement on Tuesday, Tetris noted that the Mid-Murray region where the solar farm was being developed was host to a number of “intensive agricultural businesses,” including dairy, a piggery, and vegetable cool rooms.

Flow Power has existing supply arrangements in place with some of these customers, including leading wine producer Pernod Ricard – which as we reported here signed a 10-year deal with Flow to use off-site wind and solar power to help take it to 100% renewables within this year.

“We’re pleased to be working alongside Tetris Energy and Canadian Solar to deliver more effective, low-cost and renewable energy solutions to businesses in the Mid-Murray region and beyond,” said Flow Power managing director Mathew van der Linden.

For Tetris Energy – a relatively new player in the market and a subsidiary of Tetris Capital – the deal marks an “exciting milestone” for the company’s first renewable energy project in South Australia.

“(We) look forward to building out (our) South Australian renewable energy and social infrastructure pipeline over the course of 2019,” the company said on Tuesday.

For Canadian Solar – one of leading solar module manufacturers and project developers in the world – the acquisition strengthens its grasp on the Australian market, just a few years after it pinpointed it as one of the biggest markets in the Asia-Pacific region for large-scale PV.