Oil and gas firm Eni Australia enters renewables market

It bought a 33.7MWp solar project in the Northern Territory of Australia.

Oil and gas exploration firm Eni Australia finished the acquisition of a 33.7MWp solar photovoltaic (PV) project in the Northern Territory of Australia, marking its entry into the renewable energy market.

According to an announcement, the project was purchased from Katherine Solar Pty Ltd, a joint venture between Australia’s Epuron and the UK-based Island Green Power.

The project will be the largest in Australia’s Northern Territory, the company said. It will have ground-mounted PV panels and a battery storage system with a capacity of 5.7 MVA/2.9MWh.

Epuron will have an active role in managing the PV farm once it is operational. Construction is expected to start in the next few weeks, with an expected commercial operation date in Q4 2019.

Eni operates and owns the Blacktip Gas Project and has a non-operated interest in the Bayu-Undan gas and condensate field and in the associated Darwin LNG plant.