KS1 is the first of four projects that comprise the Kidston Clean Energy Hub, located in Kidston, Far-North Queensland.
This site was selected in order to take advantage of the highest solar radiation zone in the country. The project has 540,000 solar panels operating on a single axis tracking system with an anticipated project life of 30 years.
The project reached financial close in February 2017, with a total funded construction cost of $115M. Financing was underpinned by the 20-year Revenue Support Deed with the Queensland Government for 100% of the energy generated from the Project, in addition to a $8.9M funding grant provided by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency.
First energisation occurred in November 2017, with the project successfully built on-time and on-budget through EPC Contractor UGL.
The project generates up to 145GWh (145,000MWh) of renewable electricity per year, which is equivalent to powering over 26,000 Australian homes and offsetting over 120,000 tonnes of CO2 per annum.
Location:
Far-North Queensland
AC capacity:
50MW
DC capacity:
63MW
Capacity Factor:
33%
Annual output:
145,000MWh
Project lifespan:
30 years
Number of panels:
540,000
Panel manufacturer:
First Solar Inc.
Tracking system:
Single Axis
Tracking manufacturer:
NEXTracker
Inverter manufacturer:
SMA
Transformer manufacturer:
SMA
Connection:
132kV Ergon Energy
EPC Contractor:
UGL Ltd
O&M Contractor :
Solarig
Project cost:
$115M
Funding grant:
ARENA ($8.9M)
20-PPA:
Queensland Government
Knowledge Sharing
- Capital Expenditure = $115,422,000
- Cumulative AC Energy Delivered to the Grid (P50) = 145,606 MWh/year
- Q1 = 34,162 MWh
- Q2 = 32,766 MWh
- Q3 = 38,036 MWh
- Q4 = 40, 641 MWh
- GHI (Global Horizontal Irradiation) = 2,155 kWh/m2
- Debt-Equity Ratio = 74%
