ACEN Australia, SmartestEnergy strike deal for clean electricity
At A Glance
- Ayala-led ACEN subsidiary partnered with Smartest Energy to reduce energy consumption in Australia by offtaking 25 percent of the 400 megawatts (MW) coming from the New England Solar.<br>The New England Solar being developed will become the largest solar projects in the National Electricity Market (NEM) and is aimed to power around 300,000 houses in Australia.
To reduce the electricity demand sourced from higher emission intensity, ACEN Corp.’s wholly owned subsidiary in Australia partnered with SmartestEnergy to offtake renewable electricity generated from the New England Solar project in New South Wales.
The Ayala-led energy firm disclosed on Tuesday, Mar. 12, that ACEN Australia and SmartestEnergy inked a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) to offtake 25 percent of the 400 megawatts (MW) stage 1 project in an eight-year term.
David Pollington, ACEN Australia managing director, stated that the deal would largely contribute to the National Electricity Market (NEM).
“We have a bold strategy to help Australia transition to a clean energy future, and we are excited by this first offtake with SmartestEnergy, enabling us to bring more renewable energy [RE] projects to life and clean electricity for Australian homes and businesses,” he said.
According to Robert Owens, SmartestEnergy Australia's chief executive officer, RE generated by ACEN would be readily available to commercial and industrial consumers within the country, which could promote green energy in operations.
“Our goal is to help Australian businesses procure 100% renewable energy to fast-track their net zero journey and we are very pleased to be able to partner with ACEN which is leading the sustainable energy landscape that integrates community prosperity,” Owens shared.
ACEN Australia’s first operational project, the New England Solar, has obtained support from host landholders, First Nations people, and the Uralla community.
The Ayala energy subsidiary also invested AU$200,000 or P7 million into the Uralla and other communities within the New England Social Social Investment Program.
“An additional ~AU$7 million in community funding will be invested over the next 25 years,” ACEN said.
Once the solar project has been fully developed, the overall 720 (MW) project will become the country’s biggest solar projects in the NEM.
ACEN’s solar solution would then be able to provide power to an average of 300,000 Australian homes.