Zen Energy’s 100MW Solar and 200MW Battery Project in Queensland
Zen Energy has revealed its intentions to construct a 100 megawatt (MW) solar farm and a 200MW battery with storage capacity of up to eight hours near Gympie in Queensland. This project, known as the Hookey Creek hybrid project, is part of the newly established Zebre joint venture. The proposal for the project has been submitted for federal environmental assessment, aiming to secure approval for the development on grazing land located approximately 23 km north-west of Gympie and 7 km south-east of Woolooga.
According to documents submitted to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act, Zen Energy has initiated community engagement efforts by distributing information to neighbours within a 5km radius of the project site. Additionally, a meeting was held with the Traditional Owners of the Gympie region, the Kabi Kabi, in April to discuss the project.
Partnership with HD Renewable Energy Co
The Hookey Creek project is part of a collaboration with Taiwanese equity partner HD Renewable Energy Co (HDRE), which was announced in March. This partnership aims to co-develop approximately 695 megawatts (MW) of multi-hour big batteries and 100 MW of solar projects across three Australian states. HDRE, a Taiwan-listed company valued at over $1.1 billion, finalised a deal in November to acquire a 9.7 per cent stake in Zen Energy for $43 million. The joint venture, named Zebre, will oversee the development and management of a 1.4 gigawatt (GW) solar and storage pipeline.
Expansion Plans and Project Details
The investment from HDRE, totalling $14 million, facilitated the acquisition of development rights for four greenfield battery and hybrid solar projects in New South Wales, Victoria, and Queensland. These projects have a combined capacity of around 795MW, with potential for further expansion. Zen Energy will retain a 30 per cent stake in the projects, with HDRE holding the remaining 70 per cent through the Zebre platform.
One of the projects included in this agreement is the Wagga Wagga BESS in the NSW Riverina region, which is designed to have a capacity of 105MW/420MWh. The Hookey Creek project, located in south-east Queensland, will feature a solar-storage hybrid facility with a battery capacity of either 800 MWh or 1600 MWh, providing storage for up to eight hours.
The development of the solar farm, battery, and associated infrastructure will span 263.32 hectares of land primarily used for agricultural grazing. Zen Energy is exploring the possibility of integrating sheep grazing among the solar panels to maintain agricultural activities on the site.
Access to the project site will be facilitated through an existing road developed as part of the adjacent Woolooga solar farm, a 222 MW photovoltaic (PV) array with a battery energy storage system (BESS) of up to 640 megawatt-hours (MWh) being constructed by Lightsource bp.
Zen Energy recently announced that its Templers battery project in South Australia, another initiative under the Zebre joint venture, has received approval for grid connection and is progressing through the commissioning phase.
For more details on big battery storage projects across Australia, refer to Renew Economy’s Big Battery Storage Map.
