Overview
Installed Capacity: 500MW in total once completed
Location: Upper Haughton, Queensland
Traditional Owners: Bindal People
Number of Panels: 39,000
About the project
Located in North Queensland’s Burdekin Shire (40km west of Ayr and 60km south of Townsville), Haughton Solar Farm is a large-scale solar photovoltaic power station. The solar farm is being built in stages with the first 100MW of the project opened in 2019. Once all stages are complete, Haughton Solar Farm is expected to have a generating capacity of up to 500MW, enough to power approximately 291,000 homes. Stage 1 of the project will abate approximately 320,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions each year.
The site was identified as an area highly suitable for efficiently capturing solar energy – the region has one of the highest levels of solar irradiance in Australia, receiving 2,095 KWh/m² per annum. The north-eastern corner of the development site directly adjoins the existing 275kV Powerlink transmission line, providing the opportunity to connect to the NEM.