Acquisition by Spark Infrastructure and the $1 million Community Fund
13 April 2019
Key facts
- Located on approximately 250 hectares of land within Bomen Industrial Estate.
- Located 10km northeast of the CBD of Wagga Wagga.
- Single axis tracking system to follow the sun and maximise generation.
- Over 200GWh of electricity generated each year, or enough to power the equivalent of approximately 36,000 Australian homes.
- Operational life of 30 years.
Bomen Solar Farm acquired by Spark Infrastructure
A significant milestone has been achieved at Bomen Solar Farm today with the project being acquired by Spark Infrastructure. Renew Estate has developed the project through various planning approval stages, and Spark Infrastructure is excited to be taking the project to the next stage of its process. We are proud to be delivering this project for the Wagga Wagga community and the region.
About Spark Infrastructure
We are a leader in essential service infrastructure and through our businesses, we deliver energy to more than 5.6 million customers across three states. With ownership interests in Victoria Power Networks, SA Power Networks, and TransGrid, we are helping transition Australia to a lower carbon future. We have worked closely with Renew Estate and we know how diligent they’ve been in keeping the community informed and up‑to-date with this project. We want to assure you we will continue this throughout construction and eventually through the commencement of commercial operations of the site
Beon Energy Solutions to construct Bomen
Bomen Solar Farm will be constructed by Beon Energy Solutions, an associate company of Spark Infrastructure. Beon (pronounced bee‑on) has experience in providing services on more than $3 billion of Australian electrical assets, including three of the first solar farms to be built in Australia. With early works having commenced on-site, construction is due to start in coming months. The site is expected to be fully operational in Q2 2020.
Our corporate partners – helping Australia transition to clean energy
In April 2019, Australia’s first bank – Westpac – announced that it had agreed to purchase just over a quarter of Bomen Solar Farm’s output for 10 years as part of its commitment to source the equivalent of 100 per cent of its global electricity consumption through renewable sources by 2025. This is in addition to Flow Power’s agreement in December 2018 to purchase part of the farm’s output, delivering low-cost solar power to its business customers for up to ten years. Flow Power is an electricity retailer transforming the way Australian businesses buy their electricity. Their customers include leading wine maker Australian Vintage and iconic snack food manufacturer Snack Brands.
One million dollar community fund
Westpac, in partnership with Spark Infrastructure, has committed to providing a $1 million community fund to benefit the community around Bomen Solar Farm over 10 years. This will be one of the largest community benefit packages associated with a solar farm in Australia. The community fund will provide support for STEM scholarships, local community projects, youth facilities and recreation programs, and local biodiversity and vegetation regeneration programs. Watch the website for more details about this exciting program in coming months.
Information Drop-in Session
A community information drop-in session will be held at Mercure Hotel, 1 Morgan Street, Wagga Wagga on Tuesday, 28 May 2019 from 5.30pm to 6.30pm. This will be to provide information to potential contractors and employees for the construction of Bomen Solar Farm. As the Principal Contractor, Beon will be procuring a wide range of goods and services for the construction of the project and the project team will be available at the session to talk through the procurement and employment process. Bomen Solar Farm is committed to utilising local talent to ensure that tangible benefits are provided to the local community. More information on the goods and services required and a contractor enquiry form can be found on our website