Australian developer seeks government approval for solar-plus-storage project at 350 MWh

Pacific Partnerships’ Hopeland Solar and Battery Energy Storage System project, proposed for Queensland’s Western Downs region, is currently seeking a decision under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act, having already secured local authority planning approvals and support through the first round of the national Capacity Investment Scheme (CIS).

A subsidiary of Sydney-headquartered construction group Cimic, Pacific had referred plans for the 250 MW solar plant and 175 MW / 350 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) to the federal government for assessment under the EPBC Act.

The company said those plans are now available for public scrutiny with the documents open for comment through until 10 February 2026. A preliminary drawing from contractor UGL shows more than 450,000 solar modules to be installed.

Pacific said the public exhibition process “represents a major step forward in our project development journey towards construction and transmission connection.”

The Hopeland project is being developed near Chinchilla, about 290 kilometres west of Brisbane. The site is within the state government’s planned Southern Queensland Renewable Energy Zone and bordered by Akaysha Energy’s 150 MW / 300 MWh Ulinda Park battery that commenced operations late last year and French developer Neoen’s massive Western Downs Green Power Hub.

It is also within a stone’s throw of Queensland government-owned utility CS Energy’s 100 MW / 200 MWh Chinchilla battery energy storage system that was built alongside its 750 MW capacity coal-fired Kogan Creek power station.

The Hopeland solar and battery project is to connect to Powerlink’s Western Downs 275 kV substation and once operational will generate enough clean energy to power approximately 100,000 Queensland homes.

Construction is expected to start in mid-2026 and operations and renewable energy generation anticipated to start in 2028, pending approvals. The project is expected to create about 300 jobs during the construction phase.

In addition to generating employment and economic opportunities for the region, Pacific said the solar farm and battery energy storage system will support the state’s energy transformation and accelerate Australia’s transition to a sustainable future.

Pacific, which acquired the Hopeland project in 2023 from originator Brisbane-based Renewable Energy Partners, said it is one of seven assets it has either operating or in mid-to-late development stages across Australia.

From pv magazine Australia.