Gladstone approves 350MW solar farm – another for Queensland coal centre

Another solar farm looks set to be built in Queensland coal country, with the Gladstone Regional Council giving the green light for a 350MW project to be developed in Raglan.

The project, proposed by UK-based renewables developer Eco Energy World, was approved in full by council this week, according to the Gladstone Observer.

The council’s approval notice reportedly said that the company needed to gain development permits for the operational, building, plumbing and drainage works at the Epala Rd site.

All things going to plan, the Raglan Solar Farm joins at least two other major PV projects in the works for the Gladstone region, which is more traditionally known for its 1,680MW coal-fired power station – which this year turns 42 – and its busy coal and gas shipping port.

One is the $500 million 300MW Aldoga solar farm, which is proposed by Spanish renewables giant Acciona Energy, through a 30-year lease with the state government.

And another, which was submitted to council in April this year, is a 300MW solar farm proposed for land in Rodds Bay, about one hour south of the Gladstone city centre, by Renew Estate – a joint venture between German-based Wirsol Company and local outfit Beast Solutions.

For Eco Energy World, the Raglan project will help make good on the company’s pledge to develop a minimum of 1GW of solar projects in Australia by 2019.

In June 2017, the company won approval for three new grid-connected solar projects totalling 410MW, all of them in Queensland.

That pipeline includes the 280MW solar farm in Bouldercombe, and brought the company’s “ready to build” solar portfolio to a total of 570MW, including a 140MW solar park near Maryborough on Queensland’s Fraser Coast and a 20MW solar park near Chinchilla in the state’s Western Downs region.