Telstra signs deal with another new solar farm on path to 100 pct renewable power

Telecommunications giant Telstra says it has signed a deal to take half of the output of a new 120 MW solar farm that is being built in Queensland, its fifth such agreement with large scale renewable projects.

Telstra has signed a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) to the Munna Creek solar farm that is being built north-west of Gympie, and was bought by Greek developers Mytilineos Energy and Metals earlier this year.

Telstra aims to contract renewable energy generation equivalent to 100 per cent of its consumption by 2025, and this deal takes to around 80 per cent.

In October last year Telstra signed an agreement with Ark Energy to source 350 GWh a year from the massive 923.4 MW MacIntyre Wind Farm.

It also signed a contract to buy the entire output from Queensland’s Emerald Solar Farm and in 2017 it signed a deal to take half the output from Victoria’s 226 MW Murra Wurra wind project. In 2021, Telstra signed a deal to buy 80 per cent of the generation from NSW’s 58 MW Crookwell 3 wind farm.

“We’ve supported more than $1.1 billion worth of renewable energy projects across Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales as a way to reduce Australia’s reliance on non-renewable energy from fossil fuels,” says Kim Krogh Andersen, Telstra’s head of product and technology.

“Once these projects are fully up and running, our share of their renewable energy output will be equivalent to more than 80% of our consumption.” That suggests that at least one more project will need to be contracted and up and running by 2025.

The Munna Creek Solar Farm will be spread across 1000 acres of land, and will co-exist with sheep grazing on the property. An 132kV substation will also be built to connect to the transmissions lines that are already in the project area.

Mytilineos currently owns almost 200 MW of operating solar farms on the east coast and has another 260 MW of projects in development.

“This is a solid proof of Mytilineos’ ongoing Austraian strategy regarding sustainable development and renewable energy, and yet another successful agreement,” said Mytilineos executive director Nikos Papapetrou.