Octopus inks offtake agreement for Blind Creek solar and battery project in Australia

The Australian arm of British renewables developer Octopus Investments announced it has signed a foundational offtake agreement with Victoria-headquartered renewables developer and electricity retailer Flow Power for the Blind Creek Solar Farm and Battery project.

The announcement comes after Octopus reached financial close and last week officially launched construction of the $900 million (USD 630.6 million) Blind Creek solar and battery project.

The hybrid project, being built about 30 kilometers northeast of the nation’s capital, Canberra is designed to enable sheep grazing to continue alongside clean energy generation. It will combine 300 MW of solar with a 243 MW / 486 MWh DC-coupled battery energy storage system.

Octopus said pairing solar generation with energy storage delivers a bankable product that will strengthen grid reliability and provide clean, dispatchable supply as ageing coal stations retire.

“The project’s DC-coupled design and technology, that allows energy to flow directly from the solar array into the battery, represents the next evolution of hybrid renewable systems,” the company said.

“This design reduces losses, improves efficiency, and maximises the support the project can provide for the grid during high-demand periods.”

Sonia Teitel, co-managing director of renewables at Octopus Australia, said Flow Power’s early commitment had played a “meaningful role” in supporting the next-generation hybrid project’s development.

“We understand how critical it is to deliver firmed, reliable and affordable renewable energy,” she said.

“Blind Creek is the kind of next generation project Australia’s market needs, and Flow Power’s foundational partnership is key to making that possible. We’re thrilled to be working together to bring more scalable, future-ready renewable projects to market.”

The Blind Creek offtake agreement forms part of Flow Power’s strategy to pair long-term renewable energy offtake agreements with a portfolio of large-scale generation and storage assets to support its power purchase agreement customer base.

While details of the new deal, including the length of the contract and the amount of power contracted were not revealed, Flow Power Chief Operating Officer Byron Serjeantson said the “firmed offtake model” will allow the company to continue delivering reliable renewables to homes and businesses across Australia.

“Flow Power and Octopus Australia share a vision for the role of new technologies in driving a cleaner and more flexible energy system,” he said, adding that the project represents “the next generation of renewable energy projects.”

Construction of the Blind Creek project is being led by GRS, the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor of Spanish group Gransolar. The project is expected to support up to 300 full-time equivalent jobs during peak construction period. The facility is due for completion in 2028.

From pv magazine Australia.