Hydro Tasmania is looking to sign a commercial offtake agreement with the developers of large-scale solar or wind projects that can deliver up to 1,500 GWh annually and be operational within the next five to six years.
The state-government owned entity said it is seeking proposals from new solar and wind developments across the state to help bring more power into the Tasmanian grid.
Hydro Tasmania Executive General Manager Commercial Vedran Kovac said the open tender is part of efforts to incentivize new renewable developments that can work in concert with hydropower to meet the state’s growing energy demands.
“Investment in new solar and wind projects will enable existing and future energy-intensive industries to expand in Tasmania,” he said. “The best way to meet future demand is a combination of wind, solar and hydropower.”
Kovac said certainty around the Marinus Link high-voltage cable between Tasmania and Victoria had been a green light for project developers and an offtake agreement was the next piece of the puzzle.
“Signing an offtake agreement with a credit-worthy party like Hydro Tasmania is an important step for wind and solar developers to secure attractive financing terms to progress their projects,” he said. “It has to be commercial and stack up for Tasmanians, but working together, we can bring new energy online for the state.”
In 2024, Hydro Tasmania struck a power purchase agreement with TasRex for the approved 288 MW Northern Midlands Solar Farm being developed near Launceston in the island state’s north. The offtake agreement will see Hydro Tasmania take 100% of the generation from the project that when operating at full capacity, will be Tasmania’s fourth largest generator.
Hydro Tasmania said the open tender aligns with the state government’s focus on expanding renewable energy to help meet energy needs both in Tasmania and in the National Electricity Market as a whole
The expression of interest closes at 10am on Dec. 5.
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