BrightNight has secured grid approval from the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) to connect its 360 MW Mortlake Energy Hub to the National Electricity Market. The Energy Hub is BrightNight’s first hybrid renewable energy project and the largest in Victoria, Australia, includes a 360 MW solar generation capacity and a 300 MW battery energy storage system (BESS).
Reportedly, the Mortlake Energy Hub is the only hybrid renewable energy project in Victoria with AEMO-approved performance standards for the 500-kilovolt transmission network, and is set to begin construction in 2025. The energy hub’s construction is scheduled to commence in 2025. Once fully operational, it will deliver dispatchable renewable energy to over 140,000 homes in Victoria, accounting for more than 1% per cent of the state’s total electricity usage.
In May 2024, BrightNight and its joint venture partner Cordelio Power secured a $414 million construction credit facility for the Box Canyon utility-scale solar project in Pinal County, Arizona. The project, owned by the BOCA bn, LLC joint venture between BrightNight and Cordelio, is anticipated to generate 300 MW of power and commence operations in 2025.
REGlobal’s Views: BrightNight, headquartered in the US, has been ramping up its capacity across the Asia Pacific region. Australia, India, Bangladesh and the Philippines are some of the key markets where the company has been focusing and its strategy is to develop round-the-clock, hybrids and firm and dispatchable renewables that are able to supply quality renewables to its clients. This strategy is a step in the right direction as most of these markets have both good wind and solar resources as well as a customer appetite for such projects.
