Mining billionaire Andrew Forrest continues his commitment to turn Australia into a world-class green energy titan by announcing the construction of the largest solar, wind, and battery center in the Southern Hemisphere.
Forrest-owned Squadron Energy Orders has been awarded contracts to immediately begin construction on the $2.2 billion Clarke Creek energy hub in northeast Queensland.
Phase 2 of the Clarke Creek project has received approval to build up to 195 wind turbines with a total capacity of 800 MW and up to 400 MW of solar panels and batteries for energy storage if needed.
Squadron Energy estimates that the project could power 660,000 homes, the equivalent of 40% of all households in Queensland, or nearly 8% of all households in Australia.
“We have begun building the largest renewable energy center in the Southern Hemisphere,” Forrest said.
“But I’m happy to report that we won’t hold this record for long: there are other renewable energy projects in the pipeline that will surpass our project in scale. We intend to launch other projects that will exceed today’s record.” he added.
One of them is Sun Cable, a 20,000 MW monolithic solar power plant in the Northern Territory, which is expected to provide electricity to Singapore and parts of Asia via intercontinental power lines. The share of Squadron Energy in this project is 15%.
Energy hubs—areas where solar, wind, and storage are concentrated—have been touted as gateways to the transition away from coal, thanks to cost savings through economies of scale and reduced cable transmission lines.