French energy giant registers its first solar project in Australia

The 250-megawatt (MW) Goorambat East solar farm in Victoria’s north-east has entered the grid management system of the Australian Energy Market Operator, signalling the registration of French energy giant Engie’s first large scale solar project in the country.

Goorambat East is located north of Benalla in the Hume region of Victoria, and its entry into the MMS was highlighted on LinkedIn by Geoff Eldridge, an electrical engineer with Global Power Energy (GPE).

The solar project is now registered and ready to undertake testing and begin the commissioning process, which usually takes a few months.

Goorambat East consists of approximately 500,000 solar panels stretched across an area of around 630 hectares. According to Engie, the first solar panels were installed six months ago. It bought the project from Neoen in 2023.

Engie also operates the 150 MW, 150 MWh Hazelwood battery – next to the site of the former coal generator that was shuttered nearly a decade ago – and wind farms at Willogoleche and Canunda, and has several other solar and wind projects in development.

Want the latest clean energy news delivered straight to your inbox? Join more than 26,000 others and subscribe to our free daily newsletter.