Enel wins approval for maiden solar-storage project in Australia

Italy’s Enel Green Power has secured grid-connection approval for a hybrid project in Australia’s New South Wales state that is planned to incorporate 96 MW of solar and 20 MW battery storage capacity.

The permission was granted by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), the Italian energy group said on Thursday, adding that this will be its “very first” hybrid solar-plus-storage project in Australia.

The complex will be installed in the Aussie state’s Central West and Orana Region, with its construction set to begin in the middle of this year. Enel explained that the point of connection to the electricity grid will be shared under single Generator Performance Standards (GPS), rather than two separate connection points in close proximity.

Once up and running, the solar-storage park will be capable of supplying electricity to around 45,000 local homes per year.

The green energy arm of Italian utility Enel SpA (BIT:ENEL) has 310 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity in operation in Australia, including the Bungala 1 and 2 parks in South Australia totalling 275.2 MW, which are majority-owned by Enel. The company is also developing a 75.6-MW wind project in Western Australia and a 93-MW solar scheme in Victoria.

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