Solar

Victoria solar farm goes from standing start to commissioning in just 12 months

Published by

The 130MW Glenrowan solar farm in Victoria is now fully commissioned, with construction through to going live taking just 12 months. 

The news was announced in a LinkedIn post by UGL renewable energy connections manager James Brennan, who said hold point testing was complete and the solar farm is now operating at “full unconstrained capacity.”

“Another very successful EPC project by UGL New Energy, also being the 3rd major utility scale solar project completing commissioning by our team within just 12 months!” Brennan wrote. 

Cimic Group company Pacific Partnerships energised the Glenrowan Solar Farm in late November last year and began exporting electricity to the national grid in December.  It is still waiting on AEMO’s final approval before officially launching.

It planned to ramp up to full production by the end of March 2024, to supply some 45,000 homes.

Located on 245 hectares in Victoria’s proposed North East Renewable Energy Zone (REZ), the solar farm has grid connection and service agreements with the Victorian transmission network operator AusNet and the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO).

The Glenrowan Solar Farm is contracted through a 10-year power purchase agreement with the Victorian Government.

Just five days ago UGL said it was “steadily making strides towards completion in early 2024” and noted the volume of work completed in the last 12 months, including 32,000 piles laid for 226,000 solar panels, and 2,150 trackers.

Rachel Williamson is a science and business journalist, who focuses on climate change-related health and environmental issues.

Rachel Williamson

Rachel Williamson is a science and business journalist, who focuses on climate change-related health and environmental issues.

Recent Posts

Queensland LNP has stopped trying to cut emissions, now it is refusing to even count them

Last year, Australian ministers agreed to create a reliable source of carbon data for transport…

1 June 2026

Australian innovation can slash wind farm concrete pours, build times and costs. But it needs a willing guinea pig

Innovation for wind turbine footings could slash wind farm concrete use and cut construction time…

1 June 2026

Australia reached peak gas years ago, but it needs a ban on new home connections, and plans for a faster exit

Australia needs to take the wheel of a well-signposted gas decline and double down to…

1 June 2026

Australia’s spent billions on renewable gases, with little to show. This is how to do it properly

A new report sets out the steps the federal government could take to bring Australia’s renewable…

1 June 2026

Network sets out $3.5 billion case for new link to remove bottlenecks between renewables and cities

Network weighs its options to close a gap in “ring” of transmission lines linking NSW…

1 June 2026

Wind, solar and battery records tumble on last day of Autumn in Australia’s most coal dependent grid

Renewable records usually fall in spring, but in Australia's most coal dependent grid a new…

1 June 2026