India’s energy giant Adani, which is trying to build Australia’s largest thermal coal mine, has secured land for two solar farms worth A$400 million ($300 million) in Queensland and South Australia. The projects will kickstart the company’s five-year plan to install 1,500 MW of solar power plants in Australia.
The energy conglomerate is planning to build a 100-200 MW solar farm in the town of Moranbah, located in Queensland’s eastern Isaac Region. The construction is scheduled to start in mid-2017 and is estimated to take around a year.
We are committed to #qld #jobs #community & we continue to work hard to achieve these outcomes. #solar https://t.co/sHWR3glndi #qldpol
— Adani Australia (@AdaniAustralia) November 24, 2016
Adani said in a statement that the Rugby Run solar farm will be “one of the world’s most advanced solar energy plants.” It will be built on a 600-hectare block that was formerly part of the Rugby Run grazing property. “The solar projects are part of Adani’s balanced approach to power generation with coal-fired, solar and wind plants supporting the energy policies of the nations in which Adani operates,” according to the company.
The second 120-150 MW solar farm will be built in Whyalla, a town in South Australia, with the construction set to begin in late 2017, the company revealed on Friday.
The green push comes as Adani continues to face strong opposition to its $7 billion Carmichael coal mine in Australia, which has suffered long-term delays in light of a number of environmental lawsuits.
Mackay Conservation Group, one of the parties fighting against Adani’s coal mine, welcomed the energy company’s solar announcement. “This is a sensible move that recognizes the long-term future of electricity production is in renewables,” Mackay Conservation Group’s Peter McCallum wrote. “Adani is fundamentally an energy company, not a miner, and its expertise is shifting rapidly towards becoming a clean energy producer in India and now in Australia.”
Local authorities also praised the projects, as both towns have been going through an economic downfall. Isaac Regional Council Mayor, Councillor Anne Baker, said: “It’s exciting and we welcome the local jobs this solar project will create. It’s fantastic to see a project that will diversify our economy from its dominant mining base. Council will support any responsible development that brings jobs and stability to our region.”
Coal mining is still a large part of Adani’s business. The company is currently developing and operating mines in India, Indonesia and Australia. Its extractive capacity of thermal coal has surged to 4 MMT in 2014, with the goal to extract 200 MMT per annum by 2020. Adani is also working to diversify its portfolio. To date, it has installed 793MW of solar capacity in India, including a 648MW facility in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, which is known as one of the world’s largest solar plants.