The farm, developed by Fotowatio Renewable Ventures (FRV), has already delivered more than 134 gigawatt hours (GWh) of energy to the grid, enough to power around 22,000 Australian households, since operations commenced in 2016.

It is expected to supply enough energy to power more than 24,000 homes annually

The multi-million dollar farm is the first large-scale solar project in Australia to use a single-axis tracking system, with photovoltaic (PV) modules that follow the sun's path from east to west to maximize the energy generated during the day and lengthen the period in which that energy is generated. 

At a special event to mark the official opening on Friday, FRV CEO Rafael Benjumea said the project would not have been possible without the backing of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), who invested $101.7 million in the project, and the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (cefc), who committed a debt finance of $46 million.

“It is a very special day for us today,” he said. “FRV is operating in many countries … but we like to be local and we like to be local here in Moree.”

Moree mayor Katrina Humphries said the town is very proud of how far the farm has come since planning began back in 2011. 

“It has been a long journey, it’s had some amazing ups and downs,” she said.

“The future looks absolutely brilliant; I’m a farming girl, I came off the farm where you breed sheep and you breed cattle and I like to think that the next step in this world is that we breed solar farms.

“The sky’s the limit.”

The solar farm’s future is guranteed for at least the next 15 years, thanks to an agreement with Origin Energy, who purchased all of the facility’s electricity output back in March 2016.

Origin’s Greg Jarvis said there is no denying that renewable energy is a growing industry and this is just the beginning.

“Nothing is going to stop the increasing amount of renewables,” he said. “We’ve already signed 275MW of solar since the start of this year; we’ve also signalled our intent to contract up to 2,000MW of new-scale solar in the coming years.”

Moree Solar Farm played a critical role during the state-wide heatwave on February 10, pumping out 55MW of reliable power, close to 100 per cent capacity.

“I like to think that the solar farm probably saved our butts a few weeks ago when we were in the worst heatwave we’ve ever experienced,” Cr Humphries said.

Parliamentary Secretary for Renewable Energy Ben Franklin said the NSW government is passionate about supporting renewable energy projects such as the Moree Solar Farm.

“We are committed to a reliable, affordable and clean energy future for the state’s businesses and households,” he said.

During the construction phase of the project, more than three quarters of the 150 jobs were awarded to local workers, with many being employed in subsequent solar projects. Five permanent employees now operate Moree Solar Farm. 

FRV estimates more than 300 people were engaged in the design, construction and operation of Moree Solar Farm.