Workforce installs last of 609,522 panels at major new solar and battery project

The final solar panels have been installed at the Broadsound solar farm and big battery project in central Queensland, bringing the project an important step closer to completion and full operation.

Iberdrola Australia, the local subsidiary of the Spanish energy giant, announced over the weekend on its LinkedIn account that all 609,522 solar panels are now in place at the 377 megawatt (MWdc) solar component of the Broadsound project.

The site, located 150km northwest of Rockhampton at Clarke Creek on Barada Kabalbara Yetimarala People land, consists of more than 91,000 piles and 7,006 solar trackers.

“Behind it all is a mechanical installation team of 110 people, with close to half identifying as First Nations,” said Iberdrola Australia. “All part of a workforce of hundreds working to finalise this important project.”

The announcement comes nearly seven weeks after it was revealed that the 180 MW/360 megawatt-hour (MWh) Broadsound Battery had joined the AEMO Market Management System (MMS), which marked the start of the battery’s testing and commissioning phase.

Iberdrola Australia began construction on the co-located battery and solar project in September 2024, its first facility in Queensland and part of the company’s increasing presence in Australia.

In late 2022, Ignacio Galán, Iberdrola chairman, announced his company’s plans to invest between €2 and €3 billion into Australia’s clean energy transition with a goal of building an Australian renewable energy portfolio of around 4 gigawatt (GW).

The company now operates a number of onshore wind and solar farms – including the 242 MW Ararat wind farm in Victoria and the Port Augusta Renewable Energy Park consisting of 217 MW of wind and 110 MW of solar.

Iberdrola also boasts a number of projects in various stages of development, including five batteries and nine wind farms, as well as the 3 GW Aurora Green Offshore Wind project being developed off Gippsland in Victoria.

If you would like to join more than 29,000 others and get the latest clean energy news delivered straight to your inbox, for free, please click here to subscribe to our free daily newsletter.