Australia, along with Spain and the United States, is one of Naturgy’s priority countries within its strategic objectives for the coming years. In the oceanic country, the energy company chaired by Francisco Reynés Massanet, has proposed to reach an installed capacity in the country of 2.2 GW by 2025 focused on the development of wind technology plants, solar photovoltaic and storage systems.
Naturgy’s presence in Australia dates to 2007. Through its subsidiary Global Power Generation (GPG), the company has developed a renewable portfolio that provides clean energy sources and contributes to the development of rural and regional communities.
Now, the energy company led by Francisco Reynés, through its international generation subsidiary Global Power Generation (GPG), has reached 395 megawatts (MW) in renewable operation in Australia, a strategic region for the group in its commitment to ‘green’ energy, with the operation of ‘Berrybank 2’, its third wind farm in the country.
The plant is in the Corangamite region (State of Victoria) and has an installed capacity of 109 MW and will produce 390 gigawatt hours (GWh) of clean energy per year, equivalent to supplying more than 71,000 homes.
This new wind farm, which coincides with Naturgy’s fifteenth anniversary in Australia, is the second phase of the ‘Berrybank 1’ wind farm, in operation since 2021. Berrybank 2 was awarded a power purchase agreement by the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Government in September 2020.
It is the energy group’s third renewable energy generation project in Australia, following the ‘Crookwell 2′ and ‘Berrybank 1’ wind farms. The company also recently connected the ACT Battery in Australia, the group’s first storage facility worldwide.
Naturgy’s objectives
The company also recently connected the ACT Battery in Australia, the group’s first storage facility worldwide.
Naturgy is working in a significant portfolio of projects under construction and advanced development with a combined capacity of 1.5 GW concentrated in the states of Victoria, New South Wales, Western Australia and Queensland.
The projects currently under construction and scheduled for commissioning in 2024 are the ‘Ryan Corner’ wind farm, with an installed capacity of 218 MW; ‘Crookwell 3’, with 58 MW; and ‘Hawkesdale’, with 97 MW; as well as the ‘Cunderdin’ battery-solar hybrid project, the first project of its kind to be developed in the country, with an investment of 172 million euros.
Francisco Bustío, CEO of GPG, a company in which Naturgy holds a majority stake of 75% and has KIA (25%) as a partner, said that the group celebrates its fifteenth anniversary in Australia “with an eye on the future and with a solid commitment to this country, the second by volume of growth in the current strategic plan of Naturgy, only behind Spain”.
