Investment in Queensland’s solar industry soars

One of Japan’s largest solar investments in Australia will be based in Queensland.

A major investment announcement made today by Japanese companies Sojitz and ENEOS means a 204 megawatt solar farm will be developed across 428 hectares in Edenvale, in the Western Downs Regional Council area.

Premier and Minister for Trade Annastacia Palaszczuk said this is great news for Queensland.

“This is a show of international confidence in the strength of our economic recovery plan and in Queensland’s renewable energy future,” the Premier said.

“This project will create a local jobs bonanza with over 400 jobs required during the construction phase.

“Queensland has a strong relationship with Japan and this is clearly demonstrated here by this significant investment by Sojitz and ENEOS.”

Sojitz is one of Japan’s major trading companies and has a strong investment and long trading history in Queensland’s mining industry, and ENEOS, is Japan’s largest oil company and has a significant focus on renewables and hydrogen.

In 2018 with the support of Queensland University of Technology, ENEOS successfully exported green hydrogen from the Redlands Research Facility, east of Brisbane, to Japan. It was the first technical verification of production of green hydrogen using methyl cyclohexane (MCH) in the world at the time.

Of the renewable energy to be produced by the Edenvale Solar Farm, 70 per cent will be sold to a local electricity retailer to provide a stable supply of renewable energy, while part of the remaining 30 per cent will be supplied to Gregory Crinum Coal Mine, which Sojitz owns and operates.

The Queensland government’s international trade agency, Trade and Investment Queensland helped to facilitate the investment.

The Premier also today announced her government would invest $2 billion into the Queensland Renewable Energy and Hydrogen Jobs Fund as part of Queensland's COVID Economic Recovery Plan providing cheaper, cleaner energy to power more jobs and more industries in Queensland.

The fund will also support the further development of Queensland’s resources sector while at the same time helping to deliver on our 50 per cent renewable energy target by 2030. Find out more at www.qld.gov.au/qldjobsfund

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Media contact:

Zoe Russell (Premier's office) – 0439 982 347

Greg Sweetnam (Trade and Investment Queensland) - 0447 972 744