Naturgy buys 125-MW solar-BESS hybrid project in W Australia

Spanish electric and gas utility Naturgy Energy Group SA (BME:NTGY) has acquired a ready-to-build project for a 125-MW solar PV farm hybridised with a battery energy storage system (BESS) of up to 220 MWh in Cunderdin, Western Australia.

In an announcement on Thursday, the company said it had bought the Cunderdin development from Sun Bread Power (SBP) for an undisclosed price, with plans to invest EUR 160 million (USD 160.3m) in the project.

Naturgy expects to launch construction in the fourth quarter this year, with the aim to start commercial operation in the first months of 2024. The facilities will be hooked to Western Australia's South West Interconnected System, the utility said.

Naturgy will build the Cunderdin project through Global Power Generation (GPG), its joint venture with Kuwait Investment Authority, Kuwait’s sovereign wealth fund. Cunderdin is Naturgy’s first hybrid power project in the world, its first solar PV project in Australia, and Australia’s first solar-plus-storage hybrid, according to the company.

Through GPG, Naturgy operates two wind farms in Australia, the 96-MW Crookwell 2 and the 180-MW Berrybank 1. At present, it is wrapping up the commissioning process for the 109-MW Berrybank 2 wind farm, and a 10-MW/20-MWh BESS in the Australian Capital Territory.

(EUR 1.0 = USD 1.002)

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