Naturgy expands its international presence in Australia

Naturgy has a presence in more than twenty countries around the world, where it operates in the fields of gas and electricity distribution, renewable energy generation, and energy commercialization. With a significant presence in Europe and Latin America, the company has also extended its activities to the Southern Hemisphere. Its presence in Australia dates back to 2007, and since then it has contributed to the development in the country of a more sustainable energy mix, with projects that generate jobs, revitalize rural communities, and facilitate the transition to a low-carbon economy.

The company continues to drive its international growth with two new photovoltaic plants in Australia. These are the Glenellen and Bundaberg projects, with which the group already raises the installed capacity in the country to 1.3 GW.

The Glenellen project has 260 MW and will be Naturgy's largest photovoltaic plant in Australia to date. Located in the state of New South Wales, it covers an area of 300 hectares and has nearly 373,000 solar modules. The projected renewable energy generation is 450 GWh/year, equivalent to the consumption of more than 80,000 homes, and will avoid the emission of approximately 385,000 tons of CO₂ equivalent into the atmosphere.

Glenellen is an agrovoltaic plant that will integrate renewable generation with agricultural activity, reinforcing Naturgy's commitment to sustainable energy models that are compatible with the environment. Furthermore, during the operation of the facility, livestock activity has been maintained through sheep grazing.

On the other hand, the Bundaberg solar plant represents Naturgy's first project in the state of Queensland. The facility has a capacity of 96 MW, with more than 162,000 solar modules, and will generate around 200 GWh/year annually, equivalent to the consumption of approximately 36,000 homes and will avoid the emission of more than 170,000 equivalent tons of CO₂ into the atmosphere.

The photovoltaic plants add up to a combined capacity of 360 MW and the company has already formalized the sale of energy from both projects through long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs). This reinforces the visibility of revenues and business stability, and both Glenellen and Bundaberg strengthen Naturgy's renewable asset portfolio in Australia and consolidate its presence in two key states of the Australian energy market.

The attractiveness of Australia

Naturgy considers Australia an attractive market for the development of renewable energies on an international scale thanks to its regulatory stability, its high growth potential, and its commitment to the energy transition. The company has a long presence in the country and currently has 1.3 GW in operation, 0.5 GW under construction, and a development project portfolio of 2 GW, concentrated in the states of Victoria, New South Wales, Western Australia, and Queensland.

The company develops its activity in the country through its subsidiary GPG, in which the group holds a majority stake of 75%, together with Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA), which holds the remaining 25%. GPG manages a total installed capacity of more than 5.27 GW distributed across eight countries.