X-ELIO opens their brand new solar farm near Chinchilla in the Western Downs

After two years of construction, the Western Downs’ newest energy project has been launched with the company promising new projects on the horizon. Here’s how it will help the region.

A brand new solar farm in the Western Downs region celebrated its launch with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at its site west of Chinchilla on Wednesday.

Global energy provider X-ELIO officially opened their Bluegrass Solar Farm just 14km from Chinchilla in nearby Baking Board.

The 200MW solar farm is one of Queensland’s fifty large-scale renewable projects and it will support the state government’s 70 per cent renewable energy target by 2032, which was outlined in their recent Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan.

Four hundred local jobs were created during the solar farm’s two-year construction, with the project delivering a more than $200 million investment in Queensland.

Community figures, industry leaders and local media attending X-ELIO's Bluegrass Solar Farm launch on Wednesday November 16.

The project is expected to power 80,000 homes across Queensland and offset more than 320,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions.

X-ELIO said their project will contribute to lowering the cost of solar and additionally support Australia’s 2050 net zero ambitions.

Western Downs Mayor Paul McVeigh said he’s proud that the region is considered the ‘Energy Capital of Queensland.’

The Western Downs is in the heart of the Southern Renewable Energy Zone and produces a wide variety of energy through solar, wind, hydrogen and coal.

Energy industry experts inspecting the new Bluegrass Solar Farm site.

“Council is committed to working with energy companies and developers who demonstrate their commitment to the region and the growth of the community and local economy,” he said.

“We look forward to its (solar farm) future operation in the heart of our region further contributing to the exciting and rapidly expanding energy mix within the Western Downs.”

X-ELIO’s Australian manager Belinda Fan said this was the company’s first Australian solar project and thanked the Western Downs community for their support.

“We’d like to think of this project as a small but important step in the State’s march to net zero,” she said.

X-ELIO CEO Lluis Noguera speaking at the launch event.

To show thanks, X-ELIO announced funding for four community groups at their launch.

Recipients of the funding included the Resourcing Country District Instrumental Music Program, which will provide musical instruments to students across 400 schools in the region; the Friends of Illoura Village, who can now purchase an accessible bus to transport the elderly and disabled around the local community; the Western Downs Emergency Services Unit, which will establish a Mobile Emergency Operations Centre trailer “Ruby” to support future SES operations in remote locations; and a Local Parents Association, which will oversee the fencing of a local park located next to the Warrego Highway.

X-ELIO CEO Lluis Noguera revealed that additional projects had been planned for other parts of Australia.

“Australia is a key strategic market for X-ELIO and our Blue Grass Solar Farm will spearhead our continued expansion along Australia’s East Coast, with additional projects planned for NSW and VIC.”