Our Gawara Baya wind offtake: what SmartestEnergy can offer large energy users

On 31 August, Windlab and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), which has acquired the project from Windlab, announced that financial close had been reached for the Gawara Baya wind farm project.

The achievement marks a significant milestone for both companies and for Australia’s transition to clean energy. One of the largest energy developments in North Queensland, Gawara Baya is a hybrid renewable energy project comprising a 408MW wind farm and a 104MW battery energy storage system (BESS).

The announcement comes at a time when energy demand is growing. As seen in AEMO’s recently released NEM Electricity Statement of Opportunities, long term demand growth is being driven by the electrification of industry, transport and homes. Data centres are another driver – both the construction of new data centres and the scaling up of existing centres’ capacity.

SmartestEnergy has secured an eight-year offtake agreement for 40% of Gawara Baya’s capacity. When the project comes online, anticipated in 2030, the offtake will become a key part of our renewable electricity portfolio.

Accessing one of Australia’ most reliable wind resources

Gawara Baya is expected to generate power at times when solar is offline and other wind generation projects may be less active. This is because in North Queensland, studies have shown that wind is highly reliable and more abundant than in other parts of Australia – particularly in the afternoon and into the evening.

In addition, its proximity to existing transmission infrastructure means that, once constructed, the electricity it produces can be delivered into the market relatively quickly.

SmartestEnergy’s broad, flexible renewable energy portfolio

An energy markets business rather than a traditional retailer, SmartestEnergy provides market access and tailored solutions for large energy users, developers and asset owners. Unlike others in the market, SmartestEnergy does not own generation assets. Instead, we partner with asset developers. We are proud that our offtake agreement supports the long-term revenue certainty needed to back construction of the Gawara Baya project.

For SmartestEnergy, the Gawara Baya offtake strengthens our ability to offer customers tailored renewable energy solutions backed by a broad and balanced portfolio. We have:

·       Reliable late-afternoon and evening wind generation from Gawara Baya in Queensland.

·       Complementary Queensland solar offtakes, including the Gunsynd Solar Farm with Metis Energy and the Kingaroy Solar Farm with Metlen.

·       Additional flexibility through our virtual battery agreement with Neoen at the Western Downs Battery.

Supporting Australia’s large energy users with tailored, risk managed solutions

SmartestEnergy is committed to Australia. As part of a large global group, we combine local market knowledge with international experience and strong financial backing. We are a subsidiary of Marubeni Corporation, a Fortune Global 500 company with more than 50,000 employees across 68 countries.

With our offtake with Gawara Baya, SmartestEnergy will be able to offer new contracting opportunities for large energy users.