Another 95mW of solar power will soon be lighting up Queensland, with the $175 million Susan River Solar Farm on the Fraser Coast officially opened on February 5.
“Susan River Solar Farm is one of the biggest solar farms to come online in Queensland,” Maryborough member Bruce Saunders says.
It’s owned by Elliot Green Power and has the capacity to power about 40,000 homes at full generation, also expected to help with electric vehicle uptake.
Treasury assistant minister Glenn Butcher represented the State Government at an on-site ceremony near Maryborough after the North Queensland floods saw the premier and all ministers called to Brisbane for Cabinet.
The project uses 290,000 panels to generate electricity, connected to the state’s power grid via a new Ergon Energy substation on the solar farm site.
Susan River take Queensland’s total operational capacity of renewable energy to more than 2000mW.
Energy minister Dr Anthony Lynham says Susan River is the 20th renewable generation project to come online in Queensland over the past two years, with another 13 large-scale projects under construction there expected to generate more than 1200mW.
The project pipeline includes Elliot Green Power’s other Queensland renewable project, the 75mW Childers Solar Farm 50km away. It also recently completed construction and is in the early stages of commissioning.
