HOCHTIEF Group company Pacific Partnerships, a subsidiary of CIMIC, has acquired the development rights for the 300 MWdc Hopeland Solar Farm in Queensland, the second large-scale solar project to be owned and developed by Pacific Partnerships.

HOCHTIEF CEO Juan Santamaría: “CIMIC is committed to supporting Queensland’s energy transition and developing the large-scale renewable generation assets and infrastructure required to support it. Queensland is a strategic focus as we expand our diversified national portfolio of energy and utilities assets and contribute to the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan for 70% of electricity consumption to be sourced from renewables by 2032, and 80% by 2035.”

Pacific Partnerships Managing Director Simon Nicholls added: “The solar farm will have the potential to generate enough independent electricity to power approximately 100,000 average-sized homes.”

Hopeland Solar Project is located 290 km west of Brisbane in the Darling Downs, a region that is identified in the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan as having high quality solar resources. The region has close to 2.2 gigawattts (GW) of committed renewable energy projects in the pipeline.

Pacific Partnerships is currently undertaking early works as part of the project’s development and is working with CIMIC Group company UGL to support this phase. Pacific Partnerships will go on to manage the engineering, procurement, and construction, with operations and renewable energy generation currently expected to commence in 2026.