Stanwell participated in the launch of X-ELIO’s Blue Grass Solar Farm on Wednesday, with the official ribbon-cutting event marking another milestone towards Queensland’s renewable energy targets.

Located 14 km from Chinchilla in Queensland’s Western Downs, the solar farm is expected to produce 420 GWh of green energy each year, offsetting more than 320,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions and powering 80,000 home across the state.

The 200 MW solar facility will support the Queensland Government’s Renewable Energy Targets (QRET) to generate 70 per cent of its energy needs from renewable sources by 2032, and 80% by 2035.

Belinda Fan, X-ELIO’s Country Manager in Australia, said: “We’re thrilled to be celebrating the official opening of the Blue Grass Solar Farm – X-ELIO’s first solar project in Australia. The completion of this project reflects the dedication and ingenuity of our local team, as well as the ongoing support of our esteemed partners and the broader Western Downs community.

“We’re proud that the Blue Grass Solar Farm is among Queensland’s 50 large-scale renewable projects, coming online at an opportune time to help support the state Government’s clean energy ambitions. We’d like to think of this project as a small but important step in the State’s march to net zero.”

The Blue Grass Solar Farm leverages advanced technology including 375,000 bifacial solar panels and half-cut cells, enhancing performance and efficiency to help decrease the cost of solar and support Australia’s 2050 net zero ambitions.

CEO Michael O’Rourke said Stanwell’s 49MW offtake agreement with Blue Grass Solar Farm will support the corporation to provide clean, renewable energy to its customers, who are increasingly seeking clean energy solutions to meet their own decarbonisation requirements.

“The renewable energy from Blue Grass Solar will be on-sold to our commercial and industrial customers, through our retail arm, Stanwell Energy.

“We will act as intermediary for the solar farm which means that we will be responsible for the dispatch and the bidding of the electricity generated into the National Electricity Market.”

“By integrating X-ELIO’s Blue Grass Solar Farm into our existing portfolio, we can support energy security and reliability.”

Stanwell is pleased to be working with partners like X-ELIO, who are also committed to long-term economic prosperity and jobs in Queensland.

“During the solar farm’s two-year construction, 400 local jobs were created, with the project delivering more than a $200 million investment in the state of Queensland,” Michael said.

“The launch of X-ELIO’S Blue Grass Solar Farm marks another positive step towards Queensland’s renewable energy future.”

Photo courtesy of X-ELIO.