King and Wood Mallesons (KWM) has advised ENGIE in successfully reaching financial close on the Goorambat East Solar Farm, a development located 12km north of Benalla, Victoria.
Early construction works have already commenced with contractors Bouygues Construction Australia and Equans Solar & Storage, along with connection works provider AusNet, issued a Notice to Proceed. Construction and commissioning of the solar farm is expected to be finished in 2026.
The development will involve the construction, commissioning and operation of over 500,000 Solar Photovoltaic (PV) panels and is planned to have a generating capacity of up to 250MW. The solar farm will be linked to the newly constructed Goorambat East Terminal Station, which will be situated next to the current 220kV transmission line route connecting Shepparton Terminal Station (SHTS) and Dederang Terminal Station (DDTS) and to be operated and maintained by AusNet, pursuant to connection agreements reached with the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO).
ENGIE Australia’s Managing Director of Renewables, Laura Caspari said:
“ENGIE’s Goorambat East Solar Farm will make the most of an excellent solar resource and existing transmission infrastructure, and the project’s footprint has been optimised to incorporate expert advice, community input and guidance from authorities captured over years of best-practice engagement.”
KWM advised ENGIE when it acquired the project in 2023 and has subsequently advised on the connection, offtake and property aspects of the project and its project financing.
The cross disciplinary team from KWM team was led by Partners Jo Crew and Chris Dynon, supported by Special Counsel Nicola Pearl and Tom Crompton, Senior Associates Alexa Kostenko, Shubho Mukherjee, Alice Nelson and Edward Kus and Solicitors Jonathan Le and Alisha Tan.
Commenting on the deal, Partner Jo Crew said:
"We are extremely pleased to help ENGIE reach financial close on this transaction, having assisted on the initial acquisition of the project. Our work on the project across a range of workstreams demonstrates KWM's ability to seamlessly integrate different teams of specialists across the firm to work together on major energy projects. We look forward continuing to assist ENGIE on this development, as well as supporting them in their ambitious renewable energy targets."
KWM continues to be at the forefront of market leading transactions that support the country’s energy transition. This includes having recently advised European Energy on the development and financing of the Mokoan solar project, Zen Energy on the Templers Battery Energy Storage System and the project financiers on Victoria’s 200MW/800MWh Battery Energy Storage System as part of the Melbourne Renewable Energy Hub developed by Equis and with the State Electricity Commission of Victoria as co-investor and offtaker.
