20 March 2023, NEW SOUTH WALES – The Philippine Ambassador to Australia, H.E. Ma. Hellen De La Vega, participated in the inauguration ceremony of the New England Solar Farm project of AC Energy (ACEN) on 16 March 2023 in Uralla, New South Wales.

The project, which is the largest solar farm in Australia, is a significant investment from Philippine company ACEN into Australia’s renewable energy sector. ACEN is the listed energy platform of the Ayala Group. The 720 MW solar farm is being developed in two stages with the first 400 MW launched during the ceremony.

Placing emphasis on sustainability, the project was developed in close consultations with the traditional custodians of the land, the farmers, and the Uralla community. ACEN has also created the Uralla Grants to provide assistance and support to the community to promote resilience, prosperity, sustainability, and recreation.

The inauguration ceremony was also participated by Minister for Climate Change and Energy the Hon Chris Bowen, Member for Northern Tablelands in the NSW Parliament Adam Marshall, and Uralla Mayor Robert Bell. Minister Bowen expressed appreciation for the investment into AU’s renewable energy sector which would help achieve the government’s vision of transitioning AU’s energy mix to 82% renewables by 2030 and towards building AU’s composite as a renewable energy export powerhouse.

MP Marshall described the renewable energy solar project as a “gold standard” with “absolute community acceptance” given the holistic consultation and coordination by all stakeholders.

The New England Solar Farm will power up to 250,000 homes in NSW and is estimated to produce nearly 1,800GWh of electricity a year. It is expected to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions by up to 1.5 million tons of carbon dioxide every year. -END-