The new facility, Berrybank 2, has an installed capacity of 109 MW and will produce wind energy to supply more than 71,000 homes in the State of Victoria.
The entry into operation of the new wind farm coincides with the 15th anniversary of the start of the activity of the energy group in Australia, a priority country for the company’s renewable development due to its enormous potential for the energy transition.
Naturgy aspires to reach an installed capacity in the country of 2.2 GW by 2025 focused on the development of wind and photovoltaic solar technology plants and storage systems.
Naturgy, through its international generation subsidiary Global Power Generation (GPG), has commissioned its third wind farm in Australia, Berrybank 2, thus reaching 395 MW in renewable operation in this country. The company recently also connected the ACT Battery in Australia, the Group’s first storage facility worldwide.
The new Berrybank 2 wind farm is located in the Corangamite & Golden Plains region, in the southwest of the State of Victoria, at a distance of 150 kilometers from Melbourne. The facility has an installed capacity of 109 MW and 26 wind turbines with which it will produce 390 GWh of clean energy annually, a volume equivalent to the consumption of 71,000 homes.
The investment has amounted to 236 million Australian dollars (€144 million) and will prevent the emission into the atmosphere of 390,000 equivalent tons of CO2 that will allow Australia to advance in its energy transition towards cleaner generation technologies.
Naturgy’s new renewable facility is the second phase of the Berrybank 1 wind farm, in operation since 2021. Berrybank 2 was awarded a power purchase agreement by the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Government in September 2020. This is the third renewable energy generation project that Naturgy is carrying out in Australia, after the Crookwell 2 and Berrybank 1 wind farms.
15th anniversary in Australia
The entry into operation of Berrybank 2 coincides with the celebration of Naturgy’s 15th anniversary in Australia, a priority country for the group due to its enormous potential in terms of energy transition. Naturgy aspires to reach an installed capacity in the country of 2.2 GW by 2025 focused on the development of wind and photovoltaic solar technology plants and storage systems.
In addition to the four facilities that are already in operation, Naturgy is working on a robust portfolio of projects under construction and advanced development with a joint capacity of 1.5 GW concentrated in the states of Victoria, New South Wales, Western Australia and Queensland. The projects that are currently under construction and scheduled to start up in 2024 are the Ryan Corner wind farms, with an installed capacity of 218 MW; Crookwell 3, of 58 MW; and Hawkesdale, with 97 MW; as well as the hybrid solar project with Cunderdin batteries.
The latter is a clear example of this commitment to the country as it is the first solar hybrid project to be developed in the country, with an investment of 172 million euros. The plant will have an installed photovoltaic solar capacity of 128 MW and a 55MW/220 MWh battery energy storage system.
“Naturgy’s presence has always been aimed at building a solid renewable portfolio that provides clean energy sources and contributes to the development of rural and regional communities. We are celebrating this fifteenth anniversary with our eyes set on the future and with a solid commitment to this country, the second by volume of growth in Naturgy’s current strategic plan, only behind Spain,” says Francisco Bustío, CEO of GPG.
The company carries out its activity in the country through its subsidiary GPG, established in 2014 and in which the group holds a majority stake of 75%, together with the Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA), which has the remaining 25%. GPG manages a total installed capacity of more than 4,000 MW and employs around 500 people worldwide.
