All Energy Contracting (AEC) was selected by Downer to execute underground electrical works for the Chichester Solar Farm. Works commenced in April 2020.
Developed to supply solar energy to Fortescue Metal Group’s Chichester Hub mining operations, Chichester Solar Farm was one of Australia’s first examples of large-scale renewables being used to power remote mining operations.
By May 2020, trenching, backfilling and MV cabling work had been completed by AEC across the 120-hectare site in Western Australia’s Pilbara Region. Conditions for the remote mine site in the early phase of the COVID pandemic demanded special considerations mobilising teams and the strictest safety standards.
Displacing FMGL’s former aging fossil fuel fired diesel fleet of generators, the Chichester Solar Farm saves approximately 100million litres of diesel previously used at the two mine sites each year. The cost of construction was equivalent to annual fuel savings, delivering rapid payback and cutting emissions.
In addition to the solar farm, the project also involved construction of a 60km transmission line, linking Fortescue’s Christmas Creek and Cloudbreak mining operations with an existing high-voltage transmission network, Newman gas-fired power station and 35MW storage facility.
An independent cost-benefit analysis of Chichester Solar Farm by Deloitte Access Economics projected public benefits of $221 million, including approximately 200 jobs during the construction phase.
Acquired by APA Group in late 2023, the ground-breaking project completed with AEC was also an important step towards a broader interconnected network across the Pilbara, with the potential to improve accessibility, efficiency, reliability and costs of power across the region for both businesses and residents.
Since contributing to the Chichester project, All Energy Contracting has performed more than 20 solar farm projects with capacity of more than 4.5 GW across Australia and New Zealand.