Investment giant snaps up 1 GW solar and battery portfolio of retreating oil supermajor

Aula Energy, the renewables dedicated offshoot of finance giant Macquarie, has emerged as the buyer of Lightsource bp’s solar and storage portfolio in Australia, after snapping up a 1 gigawatt swag of operational PV projects with options to develop up to 800 megawatts of co-located big batteries.

Aula on Monday announced the “strategic acquisition” of the five Lightsource bp solar farms, establishes the company’s first operating fleet across the National Electricity Market.

The solar projects include West Wyalong, Wellington and Wellington North in New South Wales, Wunghnu in Victoria, and Woolooga in Queensland. Each solar project has an option to develop a co-located battery energy storage system (BESS).

Lightsource bp has reportedly been seeking a new home for the portfolio of assets for some time, as part of the global pivot back to fossil fuels being taken by its parent company, the global oil and gas supermajor, bp.

The solar farms balance out Aula’s existing portfolio of mostly wind and battery projects, including the Boulder Creek wind farm that the company is developing in central Queensland, and the Carmody’s Hill wind farm in South Australia, which reached financial close in the final weeks of 2025 – and has plans to add a battery.

In Western Australia, Aula has partnered with Perth-based Green Wind Renewables to develop a portfolio of large-scale wind farms totalling up to 2.4 gigawatts (GW).

“Today’s announcement marks another significant milestone in Aula Energy’s growth journey,” Aula CEO Chad Hymas said on Monday.

“We are building a business supported by strategic partners who can grow with us. …This acquisition strengthens our ability to support Australia’s energy transition while creating long term value for our shareholders and communities.

“For the solar farms acquired, day to day activities on site will continue as usual. We want customers, the local community, landholders and Traditional Owners to know that we value the strong foundations already in place. Our focus is on maintaining open communication and ensuring clear points of contact with the change of ownership,” Hymas said.