Adani Rugby Run solar farm officially open and at full operation

Adani’s first renewables project in Australia, a 65 MW solar farm in central Queensland has now been officially switched on, powering more than 23,000 regional Queensland homes and businesses.

Located near Moranbah in central Queensland, Rugby Run solar farm’s 247,000 solar panels makes it the eighth largest solar farm in Queensland and a significant contributor in renewable energy production for Queensland.

Adani CEO Lucas Dow was joined by Isaac Regional Council Mayor Anne Baker to officially open the farm in Moranbah today.

“We are delighted to officially open the Adani Rugby Run solar farm today, adding an Australian arm to our already significant international renewables portfolio,” Mr Dow said.

“People are often surprised when we say we’re in the renewables business, but the reality is that we recognize the world needs a reliable and affordable energy mix of both coal and renewables in order to meet current and future global energy demand.

“In India we already have 2,385MW of renewable energy being produced every year, which is enough to power the entire State of South Australia.

“We will continue to walk the talk on the importance of a reliable energy mix and our Australian Rugby Run solar farm now in successful operation is evidence of that,” he said.

The Rugby Run solar project construction contractors were managed directly to ensure cost-efficient and timely delivery, rather than via the more common EPC contract model.

“More than 175 people were employed during peak construction, with local Queensland contractors from Clermont, Chinchilla, Bowen and Townsville also engaged, ensuring the benefits were focused in regional Queensland,” Mr Dow said.

“We made sure we engaged Queensland suppliers wherever possible for Rugby Run, with 89% of our contract services for the project going to Queensland businesses – 78% of supplier contracts went to regional Queensland businesses alone.” he said.

The solar farm has been built for Queensland’s conditions, with the panels programmed to rotate to track the sun most efficiently and also to move to the most effective angles to withstand inclement wind and weather.

Adani’s expertise as India’s leading generator of solar power and manufacturer of solar panels was leveraged throughout all stages of planning, construction, and now into operation.