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Katherine: the development of photovoltaics in Australia

The plant contributes to the achievement of the Northern Territory's goal of producing 50% of energy from renewable sources by 2030.

The photovoltaic station that accumulates energy

In February 2019 we finished acquisition for the project for a photovoltaic station with an installed capacity of 34 MWp in Katherine, in northern Australia. The plant have an energy collection system that will avoid emissions of about 63,000 tonnes of CO2 a year. It will be integrated with an energy accumulation system with a capacity of 6 MW. This project will help the Northern Territory’s government achieve its objective of producing 50% of its energy from renewable sources by 2030. Eni Australia Limited completed acquisition of the project from Katherine Solar Pty Ltd, a joint venture composed of the Australian firm Epuron and British firm Island Green Power. Epuron will maintain an active role in managing the assets at the station once it is up and running. Once complete, the project will be the biggest photovoltaic station ever built in the Northern Territory. The building work began in spring 2019. The initiative represents our entry into the Australian renewables market and complements our existing Oil & Gas activities in the country.

The produced electricity will be sold through a 12-year PPA to Jacana Energy, the mail retailer in the Northern Territory, 100% owned by the Government of Australia. Furthermore, in 2019, Eni has obtained a project for the development of two photovoltaic plants in the Northern Territory for a total capacity of 25 MW, at the Batchelor and Manton Dam sites, whose construction has started at the beginning of 2020.

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Safety first

Safety in the workplace is an imperative value we want to share with our employees, contractors and local stakeholders. We are committed to eliminate accidents and protect the integrity of our assets. We consolidate a culture of safety through management and organization models, digital tools and communication initiatives. Our goal is strengthening the awareness of our people and their sense of responsibility toward themselves and others, by expanding HSE tools and digitalization to make corporate processes safer, more efficient and faster. 

Technologies

The station is fed by photovoltaic plants and will have an energy accumulation system with a capacity of 6 MW. The machinery will be composed of batteries and – with a view to optimising and innovating processes – technologies for making weather forecasts. Thanks to the latter, the plant will anticipate and compensate for any dips in solar radiation, drawing on connected storage systems, in order to minimise use of the grid.

Impact on the environment and community

This project will help the Northern Territory's government achieve its objective of producing 50% of its energy from renewable sources by 2030.