After nearly four years of delay, the solar-wind hybrid 60 MW Kennedy Energy Park in the Australian state of Queensland is nearing full operation after project developer Windlab confirmed the final stage of testing and commissioning of the Australian-first hybrid project is ongoing.
from Australia’s pv magazine
Australian renewables developer Windlab is confident that the $106 million Kennedy Energy Park (KEP), which combines 43 MW of wind, 15 MW of solar, and a 2 MW/4 MWh battery, will begin full commercial operation in early 2023 with the project currently progressing through the final testing and commissioning phase.
Windlab Operations General Manager Mark Pickering said Australia’s pv magazine that KEP, near Hughenden in central north Queensland, is now fully operational and initial hold-point tests, 10 MW and 25 MW, have been completed with the facility now authorized to operate on 25 MW, which exports 80% of the energy that the facility is expected to produce with a total capacity of 50 MW.
“KEP has one more hold point to complete, HP3 at 50 MW, which is the rated capacity of the connection,” he said. “We are waiting for the go-ahead from AEMO and Energy Queensland to do this trial. We hope to receive approval before the end of the year,” he said.
The energy park was hailed as Australia’s first major grid project to integrate wind, solar and battery technologies when it was completed in late 2018, but its commercial operation has been delayed due to complications in the process. in connection. The plant was eventually energized in August 2019 but did not get its registration from the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) until June 2021.
Pickering said the ongoing hold-ups are related to the finalization of the electrical model rather than the design of the plant.
“AEMO and Energy Queensland required a complex set of scenarios to be developed that took longer than expected,” he said.
A 50-50 joint venture between Windlab and Japan-based energy company Eurus Energy, KEP is now expected to begin full commercial operations in early 2023.
The project is backed by a 10-year power purchase agreement with Queensland state-owned generator CS Energy that includes 100% of KEP’s output.
The KEP update comes just days after Windlab announced it would partner with Fortescue Future Industries (FFI) to develop the North Queensland Super Hub in the Hughenden region. The goal is to unlock more than 10 GW of wind and solar energy within the next 10 years to support the industrial production of green hydrogen.
Windlab Chief Executive John Martin said the projects were a big step towards the company realizing its ambition to provide 20% of new generation green energy in Australia over the next 10 years.
“The enormous renewable energy potential of Hughenden and the Flinders Shire means that this region is a strategically critical part of our development strategy,” he said.
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