Orica has entered into a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Lightsource bp for renewable electricity generated by its Wellington North solar farm.

Lightsource bp will use Orica’s PPA to underpin its Wellington North solar farm – an extension of its pre-existing Wellington solar farm, making it the largest solar developer and owner in Australia.

Located approximately 50 kilometres south-east of Dubbo, New South Wales, the Wellington North solar farm will generate a total of 915GWh of renewable electricity per year, saving over 730,000 metric tonnes of carbon emissions. This extension is expected to create over 400 jobs during construction and eight full time equivalent roles once fully operational in 2025.

As part of the PPA, the Wellington North solar farm will supply around 50 per cent of Orica’s Australian electricity needs, reducing Orica’s global Scope 2 emissions by over 60,000 metric tonnes of carbon emissions annually, which is the equivalent of powering 19,000 NSW residences every year.

Globally, Orica’s proportion of electricity sourced from renewables will be around 30 per cent once Wellington North is fully operational.

Managing Director, Lightsource bp Australia and New Zealand Adam Pegg said, “Australia needs more clean, low-cost energy in the power system to drive down costs for consumers, meet rising demand, combat climate change, and improve energy independence. Fortunately, the current outlook for solar in Australia and the region is incredibly strong, with increasing political support, greater investor certainty, and capital looking to participate in the sector.

“In just four years our business has grown rapidly in Australia and the region. This growth has been enabled by the strong support from our customers, lenders, partners, and the local communities in which we operate, and we are extremely grateful for the support from Orica and are proud to be front and centre in the clean energy transition in Australia.”