Californian energy solutions company Nextracker has teamed up with Orrcon Steel, a major Australian tube and pipe manufacturer and distributor, to produce critical components for Nextracker’s smart solar trackers used in distributed generation and utility-scale solar farms.
This partnership marks a significant step towards local manufacturing and job creation in Queensland, Australia.
The agreement involves producing critical steel components from BlueScope’s steel coil at Orrcon Steel’s facilities in Brisbane.
These components will be finished at Orrcon Steel’s Northgate site by Baojia, Nextracker’s global manufacturing partner, for delivery to Engineering, Procurement & Construction.
The first project to benefit from this collaboration is ACCIONA Energia’s 480MWp Aldoga Solar Farm near Gladstone.
This project represents a major milestone for Nextracker, demonstrating its commitment to delivering energy security to Australians through local supply chains and new manufacturing jobs.
The new manufacturing facility, officially opened by Queensland Minister for Energy and Clean Economy Jobs, Mick de Brenni MP, signifies a significant shift towards renewable energy and emissions reduction policies in Queensland.
Minister de Brenni emphasised the importance of this investment in reducing emissions and bringing manufacturing jobs back to Queensland.
Peter Wheale, Nextracker’s GM for Australia, Southeast Asia, and New Zealand, highlighted the company’s commitment to delivering clean energy affordably and sustainably.
He praised Queensland’s Energy and Jobs Plan and its ambitions to create jobs in the clean energy economy.
BlueScope Australian Steel Products Chief Executive Tania Archibald, discussed BlueScope’s commitment to investing in its Australian operations to support the country’s energy transition.
She highlighted BlueScope’s efforts to supply high-quality steel products that enable customers and the Australian industry to participate in the energy transition.
Australian Steel Institute Chairman and Orrcon Steel General Manager Tony Schreiber expressed Orrcon Steel’s ambition to be a significant participant in Australia’s renewable energy supply chain.
He emphasised Orrcon Steel’s investment in renewable energy infrastructure and its role as a key supplier for the expanding renewable energy sector.
The new manufacturing facility has created 16 new jobs and can produce up to 50,000 tonnes of torque tubes, equivalent to over 2.5GW of utility-scale solar farms.
Nextracker’s market-leading technology has already been installed or is under fulfilment in 13.5 GWdc of utility-scale PV assets in Australia — making it a key player in the country’s renewable energy landscape.
