Glenrowan Solar Farm

CIMIC Group company Pacific Partnerships acquired the development rights for Glenrowan Solar Farm in northern Victoria, the first large-scale solar farm to be owned and developed by CIMIC Group as principal.

Details

Location

Glenrowan

Status

Completed

Sector

New Energy

Expertise

Construction and Commissioning

Client

Pacific Partnerships

Pacific Partnerships, through its energy business, Pacific Partnerships Energy, developed, invested in, and managed Glenrowan Solar Farm, with CIMIC Group company UGL to undertake construction, operations and maintenance.

Securing the development rights represents a key milestone for CIMIC, which has a strong history of delivering leading-edge renewable energy projects, such as wind and solar, through CPB Contractors and UGL.

Glenrowan Solar Farm development rights were purchased from leading Australian renewable energy developer and asset manager, ESCO Pacific. Grid connection and services agreements are in place with the Victorian transmission network operator (AusNet) and the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO).

UGL undertook early works for the project, including design, procurement and construction planning with operations and renewable energy generation commenced at the end of 2023.

In the one year of construction, the dedicated team behind the Glenrowan Solar Farm achieved remarkable milestones:

32,000 total number of piles laid
226,000 total number of panels
2,150 number of trackers installed
125 direct full-time equivalent jobs created during the construction phase
50,000 trees and shrubs planted.
45,000 homes powered by the solar farm.

Project Highlights

Full power and completed testing

CIMIC Group companies Pacific Partnerships and UGL have reached full power and completed testing for final Hold Point just 12 months from Financial Close for the 130MWdc solar farm at Glenrowan in Victoria.

This milestone was achieved just three months after first energisation of Glenrowan Solar Farm, when it began initial supply of renewable electricity to the national network.

Leading greenfield infrastructure developer Pacific Partnerships owns the solar farm, and industrial services company UGL delivered and will operate and maintain it.

Glenrowan Solar Farm has received conditional approval from the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) to operate at full power, and is the first of six projects selected for the current Victorian Renewable Energy Target (VRET) Auction Scheme to achieve this milestone.

The 245ha Glenrowan Solar Farm is located in Victoria’s North East Renewable Energy Zone (REZ), and has grid connection and services agreements with AusNet and AEMO.

It is part of a 2.5GW suite of energy projects currently under development as Pacific Partnerships makes strong progress towards its target of a 5GW energy platform.

The solar farm will continue to provide positive community benefit for the next 10 years, through its Community Benefit Sharing Program.

The first round of grant funding was recently awarded to 11 local community groups, assisting them to meet local needs through a diverse suite of initiatives including protection and conservation of the local natural environment.

One year of clean energy

Just over one year ago, Glenrowan Solar Farm began to feed clean, renewable energy into the grid -and what a year it’s been.

Located 2km south-west of Glenrowan in regional Victoria, this high-performing solar farm has already generated 324 gigawatt hours of electricity since connection, including 201GWh in the last year alone. That’s enough in this first year to power nearly 40,000 Australian homes, while avoiding more than 250,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions from fossil fuel sources.

This milestone marks three years since the start of construction and stands as a shining example of teamwork between fellow CIMIC Group member, Pacific Partnerships, who led the development and management, and UGL, who delivered the project from the ground up.

UGL’s experienced new energy team designed, constructed, and commissioned the Glenrowan Solar Farm, bringing it online in record time while ensuring long-term performance and reliability. The facility is equipped with high-efficiency bifacial solar panels which capture sunlight from both sides, making the most of every ray and every inch of land.

From sunrise to sunset, production ramps up with the sun’s path, peaking in the middle of the day when it’s needed most. While summer brings higher output due to longer days, even in winter, Glenrowan Solar Farm delivers consistent, valuable energy.

Performance is monitored and benchmarked daily against detailed models to ensure maximum efficiency and ongoing optimisation. This data-driven approach means that whether it's a hot summer day or a cool winter morning, the facility is working hard to keep the grid green.