Indonesian solar PV developer SUN Energy has announced itself in the Australian market, revealing it will purchase the largest solar farm in Western Australia as part of its bold ambition to become a major player in the APAC renewable energy market.

Singapore-headquartered Surya Utama Nuansa (SUN) Energy said it has signed a binding agreement, subject to conditions, to acquire 100% of the assets of the 132 MWdc/100 MWac Merredin Solar Farm in Western Australia’s (WA) Central Wheatbelt region from China-based project developer Risen Energy.

West Australia’s largest completed solar installation with an annual electricity output of 274 GWh, Merredin Solar Farm has been exporting at full capacity to the South West Interconnected System (SWIS) since August 2020.

SUN Energy’s purchase of the solar farm marks its first foray into the Australian market as it continues to build a “rapidly expanding” renewable energy portfolio in the region.

Established in 2016, SUN Energy is one of Indonesia’s most prominent solar PV developers with a strong focus on the commercial and industrial sector. The company said it has a portfolio of 40 completed projects and 80 MW under contract and is now actively pursuing regional expansion.

SUN Energy said it had already secured 50 MWp of solar projects in key markets including Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam while the acquisition of Merredin Solar Farm will boost its plan to achieve 2 GWp of operational capacity by 2025.

SUN Energy chief executive officer Philip Lee said Merredin is an integral part of the company’s expansion strategy and provides the group with a strong foothold to grow in the most developed and dynamic renewable energy market in APAC.

“The Australian market is key for us, given the long-term potential for renewable energy and its geographical proximity,” he said.

“The acquisition supports our strategy to become one of the leading renewable energy companies in the region, through a combination of new project development and selective acquisitions.”

The Merredin Solar Farm is located on 460 hectares of former farming and grazing country about 260 kilometres east of Perth. The project comprises more than 350,000 solar PV panels and has an annual electricity output of 274 GWh, enough to power about 42,000 Australian homes.

The project, which is adjacent to Western Power’s Merredin Terminal Substation, has also secured development approval to deploy up to 20 MW/40 MWh of battery energy storage onsite.