Australian supermarket chain Coles has announced plans to fulfill 95% of its electricity demand in Queensland through locally generated green power, with a significant portion sourced from French company Neoen SA's 400-MW Western Downs solar park. By Christmas, all Coles outlets in Queensland are expected to be primarily powered by renewable energy.
The power supply from Australia's largest solar park is secured through an off-take agreement between Neoen and CleanCo, the publicly-owned clean energy company of Queensland. CleanCo has committed to purchasing 80% of the output from the Western Downs solar farm.
Coles is a major customer of CleanCo and currently procures electricity from various wind and solar farms in Queensland. The company has set ambitious sustainability goals, aiming to achieve 100% renewable electricity usage by the end of June 2025 and net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
The Western Downs solar farm, recently commissioned, is part of a larger renewable energy hub that includes a 270 MW/540 MWh battery storage facility. With over one million solar panels, the photovoltaic park is expected to generate electricity equivalent to the annual power demand of 235,000 homes in Queensland.
