FRV grows solar portfolio to over 1 GW in Australia with Walla Walla Solar Farm

Fotowatio Renewable Ventures (FRV) Australia, a leading developer of sustainable energy solutions co-owned by Saudi Arabia’s Abdul Latif Jameel Energy and Canada’s OMERS Infrastructure, announced it has completed the financial close on Walla Walla Solar Farm in New South Wales’ Riverina region.

Walla Walla Solar Farm represents the fifth solar farm developed by FRV Australia in NSW and the 10th solar farm that it has developed in Australia since 2013, reaching a total power capacity of over one gigawatt in Australia.

The funding was provided by ING, the Clean Energy Finance Corporation and the Export Development Canada in the form of a green loan that is compliant with the Loan Market Association’s Green Loan Principles.

The solar farm will have a peak power capacity of approximately 300MWac, and it will be built on the traditional land of the Wiradjuri people four kilometres north-east of Walla Walla and approximately 40 kilometres north of Albury.

The solar farm will also significantly contribute to economic development in the Riverina region, expecting to create up to 250 jobs during the construction phase and to employ three to four permanent operational staff. It is also planned to award site maintenance contracts to local businesses.

FRV Australia has selected Gransolar to carry out the construction of the project in a joint venture with CHINT Solar and the connection agreements  were signed with Lumea.

Once the solar farm is online, it will add clean energy to the electricity grid and provide renewable energy to Microsoft’s data centres in Australia via a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) signed last year, supporting Microsoft’s goals of achieving 100 per cent renewable energy by 2025.

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Source: Press release by FRV Australia. Photo credit: FRV Australia.