- Australia is developing the Western Green Energy Hub, the world’s largest renewable energy project, with a capacity of 70 gigawatts, enough to power 70 million households.
- The project, which will include 60 million solar panels and 3,000 wind turbines, will cost 61 billion euros and aim to produce 200 terawatt hours of energy annually and develop green hydrogen.
Australia is developing the world’s largest “energy park,” a vast renewable energy complex that will eventually cover an area as large as Slovenia. The Western Green Energy Hub, which includes dozens of solar and wind farms, is set to have a total capacity of 70 gigawatts enough to power about 70 million Dutch households, or roughly Australia’s entire electricity demand today.
The project, which has been in planning for several years, recently saw its capacity increase from an initial 50 gigawatts to 70 gigawatts. Once completed over the next three decades, it will produce 200 terawatt hours (TWh) of renewable energy annually, equivalent to Australia’s current total electricity production.
Expected to start generating power in 2030, the park will initially contribute 6 gigawatts of wind and solar power, gradually scaling up its capacity over time. The project will comprise 60 million solar panels spread across 35 solar parks and 3,000 wind turbines.
In addition to electricity generation, the Australian government plans to use the park to produce green hydrogen, with an early target of 330,000 tons per year, ramping to 3.5 million tons in the following years.
The energy park will cover approximately 22,000 square kilometres comparable to Slovenia. Given its massive scale, the project’s estimated cost is at least 61 billion euros.
Due to the extended timeline and rapid technological advancements in renewable energy, the Australian government plans to build the park with flexibility in mind. This will ensure that future innovations, such as higher-capacity wind turbines and more efficient solar panels, can be easily integrated into the park over the coming decades.