DP Energy, an Irish-headquartered renewable energy firm, has today confirmed that it has appointed the contractors to build its highly anticipated 375 MW hybrid renewable power station at Port Augusta in Australia.

The project will be Australia’s largest such energy farm once completed, with stage 1 set to comprise 375 MW of wind and solar power (225 MW and 150 MW respectively). Stage 2 will deliver a further 300 MW of solar capacity and an expected 400 MW of battery storage capacity, DP Energy confirmed.

The Port Augusta hybrid plant will connect to the grid at the nearby Davenport substation, feeding some 1,000 GWh of renewable energy to Australia’s electricity network – enough to meet the power needs of 200,000 local households.

Downer, a solar engineering firm, has been contracted to develop the solar component for stage 1, with global wind power giants Vestas taking care of the turbines, which will be set up to maximize the thermal winds that blow across the site area in South Australia.

Overall, more than AU$600 million is being invested in this ground-breaking project; a project that will see the creation of more than 250 jobs during the construction phase.

“The appointment of our preferred key contractors, Vestas and Downer, represents a significant milestone in the progression of the project. We’ve also secured the support of a lead infrastructure investor, which is very encouraging and further ensures the development of the facility,” said DP Energy CEO Simon De Pietro.