Amazon and Vena Energy opened 125MW solar farm near Miles, in Queensland Western Downs
Online retailer Amazon is the latest tech giant to enter the renewable energy market, with their first Queensland project of 250,000 solar panels in the Western Downs.
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A new mammoth renewable energy project has come to southwest Queensland in a first for tech giant Amazon in the state.
Amazon, one of the largest online retailers in the world, and Vena Energy announced the creation of the Amazon Solar Farm Australia in near Woleebee, located north of Miles in the state’s Western Downs.
The 125MW solar farm has 250,000 panels and can generate enough power for 60,000 Australian homes.
Amazon’s local renewable energy projects have generated an estimated $467m in new economic investment for Australian communities, however, this project at Woleebee is a first for the Sunshine State.
The project is part of the Wandoan South Project, which has been approved for 650MW of solar and 450MW battery storage.
The construction phase needed approximately 220 jobs, with the online retailer saying with about a third of the workforce was sourced from the area during the initial phase of the construction program.
“As leaders in Australia’s clean energy transition, Queensland is committed to partnering with international business and industry to deliver local growth,” Energy and Clean Economy Jobs Minister Mick de Brenni said.
“Today’s announcement by Amazon and Vena Energy is further testament to the viability of our state for investment in renewable energy.
“Queensland’s legendary renewable resources, publicly-owned energy system and world-class Energy and Jobs Plan provide a strong foundation for investment, and the Amazon Solar Farm is the latest renewable energy project to come online as a result.”
The news of the solar farm at Woleebee comes as the Aconia Energia McIntyre Wind Farm inches closer to being online, with an estimated completion date of 2025.
Currently, more than half of the project is complete.
The wind farm will be one of the biggest in the world, and cost a staggering $2 billion, featuring 162 turbines which will power just under a million homes in Queensland.
Following the completion of McIntyre, the Herries Range Wind Farm will begin construction, just up the road from the site, which will power 700,000 homes.
The Herries Range Wind Farm is expected to be complete by 2027/28.
By 2030, both Macintyre, Herries Range Wind Farms and Wandoan Solar Farm will power over one million homes, making south west Queensland a hub of renewable energy.
The expansion to the project- Wandoan South Solar 2- is expected to be complete by mid-2026.
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