The biggest solar and battery hybrid projects in Australia have reached financial close, locking in a landmark deal that will help power giant aluminium smelters and refineries and help change the debate around the future of the grid.
Edify Energy, now owned by Canadian giant La Caisse, says 14 Australian and international lenders have come together to back the Smoky Creek and Guthrie’s Gap projects in central Queensland, which will combine 600 megawatts (MW) of solar and 600 MW and 2,400 MWh of battery storage.
The two neighbouring projects are a key part of mining giant Rio Tinto’s plans to close the ageing Gladstone coal fired power station in 2029 and turn to green energy and storage, from Smoky and Guthrie’s Gap, as well as the Upper Calliope solar farm, the Bungaban wind project, and other projects yet to be announced.
“Smoky Creek and Guthrie’s Gap are critical projects in the energy transition, generating cost-effective, reliable and dispatchable renewable energy,” Edify Energy CEO Ben Warne said in a statement.
“These are the first projects to reach financial close under La Caisse ownership and reflect the scale of Edify’s and La Caisse’s ambition in making a meaningful contribution to the energy transition.”
