Lightsource bp on track to develop 600MW solar hub in Australia

Lightsource bp has‎ ‎secured planning approval for upscaling plans for the Wellington North solar project, which was ‎acquired from AGL last year.

The 400MWdc site is adjacent to Lightsource bp’s near-complete ‎‎200MWdc Wellington solar farm. Once operational, the 600MWdc hub could become the state’s ‎largest renewable energy power hub.

Adam Pegg, country manager, Lightsource bp Australia, said: “We are very excited about the planning approval of our Wellington North solar farm; this is an ‎important step forward in our ambition to help Australia transition to a lower carbon future. In a few ‎years our 600MWdc Wellington solar hub will be producing 1,173,000MWh of renewable electricity ‎‎– the equivalent to powering 170,000 Australian homes – saving 938,000 carbon emissions annually.”‎

Lightsource bp’s Wellington North solar farm will use 1.2 million ‎bifacial solar panels – contributing to NSW’s ambition to increase its share of renewable energy to ‎more than 60% by 2030 while also playing a critical role in helping bp meet its net zero ‎ambitions.‎

Frédéric Baudry, president, bp Australia, and SVP, fuels & low carbon solutions, Asia Pacific, said: “This ‎exciting development is further affirmation of bp's strategy of growing our low carbon businesses ‎and transitioning from an International Oil Company to an Integrated Energy Company. We are ‎proud to be progressing strong positions in renewables and contributing to Australia’s, and bp’s, net ‎zero by 2050 ambitions.”‎