Plans for a 250 MW solar and 350 MWh battery energy storage project proposed for Queensland’s Western Downs region are now available for public comment as developer Pacific Partnerships seeks a green tick from the federal government.
Image: Pacific Partnerships
Pacific Partnerships’ Hopeland Solar and Battery Energy Storage System project, proposed for Queensland’s Western Downs region, is currently seeking a decision under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act, having already secured local authority planning approvals and support through the first round of the national Capacity Investment Scheme (CIS).
A subsidiary of Sydney-headquartered construction group Cimic, Pacific had referred plans for the 250 MW solar plant and 175 MW / 350 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) to the federal government for assessment under the EPBC Act.
The company said those plans are now available for public scrutiny with the documents open for comment through until 10 February 2026.
Pacific said the public exhibition process “represents a major step forward in our project development journey towards construction and transmission connection.”
The Hopeland project is being developed near Chinchilla, about 290 kilometres west of Brisbane. The site is within the state government’s planned Southern Queensland Renewable Energy Zone and bordered by Akaysha Energy’s 150 MW / 300 MWh Ulinda Park battery that commenced operations late last year and French developer Neoen’s massive Western Downs Green Power Hub. It is also within a stone’s throw of Queensland government-owned utility CS Energy’s 100 MW / 200 MWh Chinchilla battery energy storage system that was built alongside its 750 MW capacity coal-fired Kogan Creek power station.

The Hopeland solar and battery project is to connect to Powerlink’s Western Downs 275 kV substation and once operational will generate enough clean energy to power approximately 100,000 Queensland homes.
Construction is expected to start in mid-2026 and operations and renewable energy generation anticipated to start in 2028, pending approvals. The project is expected to create about 300 jobs during the construction phase.
In addition to generating employment and economic opportunities for the region, Pacific said the solar farm and battery energy storage system will support the state’s energy transformation and accelerate Australia’s transition to a sustainable future.
Pacific, which acquired the Hopeland project in 2023 from originator Brisbane-based Renewable Energy Partners, said it is one of seven assets it has either operating or in mid-to-late development stages across Australia.
This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.
More articles from David Carroll
Please be mindful of our community standards.
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Comment *
Name *
Email *
Website
Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.


Δ
By submitting this form you agree to pv magazine using your data for the purposes of publishing your comment.
Your personal data will only be disclosed or otherwise transmitted to third parties for the purposes of spam filtering or if this is necessary for technical maintenance of the website. Any other transfer to third parties will not take place unless this is justified on the basis of applicable data protection regulations or if pv magazine is legally obliged to do so.
You may revoke this consent at any time with effect for the future, in which case your personal data will be deleted immediately. Otherwise, your data will be deleted if pv magazine has processed your request or the purpose of data storage is fulfilled.
Further information on data privacy can be found in our Data Protection Policy.
By subscribing to our newsletter you’ll be eligible for a 10% discount on magazine subscriptions!
Δ
Legal Notice Terms and Conditions Privacy Policy © pv magazine 2026
pv magazine Australia offers bi-weekly updates of the latest photovoltaics news.
We also offer comprehensive global coverage of the most important solar markets worldwide. Select one or more editions for targeted, up to date information delivered straight to your inbox.
Δ
This website uses cookies to anonymously count visitor numbers. To find out more, please see our Data Protection Policy. ×
The cookie settings on this website are set to “allow cookies” to give you the best browsing experience possible. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click “Accept” below then you are consenting to this.
Close

source