Australia's Biggest Solar Projects in 2026: The Honest Ranking

Australia's biggest operational solar project in 2026 is ACEN's New England Solar Farm in NSW at 720 MW. The largest in the development pipeline is Genex's Bulli Creek in Queensland (up to 2 GW), and the most ambitious globally is SunCable's Australia-Asia PowerLink (6 GW from the Northern Territory to Singapore), whose major project status was renewed in July 2025.

This is the honest 2026 ranking — what's actually generating, what's actually under construction, and what's still PowerPoint. Project size is reported in AC megawatts (the figure that matters for the grid), not the inflated DC panel rating some developers prefer.

Australia's largest operational solar farms (2026)

Rank	Project	State	Capacity (AC)	Developer	Status
1	New England Solar Farm — Stage 1	NSW	720 MW + 50 MW battery	ACEN Australia	Operational
2	Western Downs Green Power Hub	QLD	460 MW	Neoen	Operational
3	Iberdrola Broadsound	QLD	377 MW	Iberdrola Australia	Modules complete May 2026, commissioning
4	Limondale	NSW	349 MW	RWE Renewables	Operational
5	Darlington Point	NSW	333 MW	Edify Energy	Operational
6	Sunraysia	NSW	200 MW	John Laing / Maoneng	Operational
7	Coleambally	NSW	189 MW	Neoen	Operational
8	Daydream	QLD	180 MW	Edify / Wirsol	Operational
9	Bungala (Stages 1+2)	SA	275 MW	Enel Green Power / Dutch Infra Fund	Operational
10	Wandoan South (Gangarri)	QLD	120 MW	Shell Energy	Operational

NSW dominates the operational top 10 because of the Renewable Energy Zones (REZs) — Central-West Orana and New England especially — but Queensland is rapidly catching up, with three of the top 10 already operational and the country's biggest single project (Bulli Creek) at its doorstep.

The biggest projects in development

Project	State / Region	Target capacity	Developer	2026 status
SunCable Australia-Asia PowerLink (AAPowerLink)	NT → Darwin → Singapore	6 GW solar + 36–42 GWh storage	SunCable (Quinbrook / Squadron)	Major project status renewed July 2025; FID targeted 2027
Bulli Creek Solar + Battery	SE Queensland	Up to 2 GW (Stage 1: 775 MW)	Genex Power	In development
Walcha Energy Project	NSW New England REZ	~700 MW solar (+ wind + pumped hydro)	Walcha Energy	Planning approvals progressing
New England Solar Farm — Stage 2	NSW	Additional 300+ MW	ACEN Australia	FID expected 2026
Wellington North & South	NSW Central-West Orana	~550 MW combined	Lightsource bp / EDF	Construction

Project profiles — what each one actually is

1. New England Solar Farm (NSW) — 720 MW

ACEN Australia's flagship, near Uralla in the NSW New England REZ. Stage 1 went fully operational in 2024 with 1.36 million panels across 2,000 hectares. The co-located 50 MW / 50 MWh BESS firms output into the evening peak. Generates roughly 1.8 TWh/year — enough for ~250,000 homes. Stage 2 (300+ MW) is in late-stage planning.

2. Western Downs Green Power Hub (QLD) — 460 MW

Neoen's Queensland anchor project near Chinchilla, fully operational and supplying CleanCo and a long-term Stanwell PPA. Co-located with the 200 MW / 400 MWh Western Downs BESS (under construction) — when complete it'll be one of Australia's first integrated solar + 4-hour battery hubs at scale.

3. Iberdrola Broadsound (QLD) — 377 MW

Iberdrola Australia confirmed module installation complete at the 377 MW Broadsound site (near St Lawrence, QLD) in May 2026. Commissioning is underway and full commercial operation is targeted late 2026. The site uses bifacial modules and tracking, with ~800 GWh/year of expected output. It will be one of the largest single-stage solar farms in Queensland.

4. Bulli Creek Solar + Battery (QLD) — up to 2 GW (dev)

Genex Power's flagship development on the Queensland / NSW border. When fully built, Bulli Creek will be the largest grid-connected solar project in Australia by a wide margin. Stage 1 (775 MW solar + 1,200 MWh battery) is targeting financial close, with construction expected to follow. The site sits next to the QNI transmission interconnector — strategically positioned to export across two NEM regions.

5. SunCable Australia-Asia PowerLink — 6 GW (dev)

The most ambitious solar project on the planet. SunCable plans a 12,000-hectare solar farm at Powell Creek (NT), 800 km of HVDC transmission to Darwin, then a 4,300 km subsea cable to Singapore. Capacity: ~6 GW generation, 36–42 GWh storage, ~1.75 GW continuous export to Singapore plus ~0.8 GW to Darwin. After a 2023 collapse, it was bought by Quinbrook and Cannon-Brookes' Squadron Energy; in July 2025 the federal government renewed its Major Project Status. Final Investment Decision targeted 2027, commercial operation late this decade. It is by far the biggest "if they pull it off" project in the global solar industry.

6. Kennedy Energy Park (QLD) — 60 MW hybrid

Not the biggest by MW, but historically significant — Australia's first utility-scale solar + wind + battery hybrid, near Hughenden in North Queensland. 15 MW solar + 43 MW wind + 4 MWh battery, operational since 2019. The proposed Kennedy Phase 2 expansion would add up to 1.2 GW of wind and 1.4 GW of solar, but remains in development.

Why Queensland is becoming the centre of gravity

• Highest residential FiT history drove early rooftop saturation — now the same political momentum is funding utility-scale.
• Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan commits to 70% renewables by 2032 — backed by Powerlink's $14 billion CopperString 2032 transmission line opening up the North-West Minerals Province.
• State-owned generators (CleanCo, Stanwell) signing 20-year PPAs underwrite project bankability.
• Land availability + irradiance: Western Downs and Central Queensland average 5.5–6.5 kWh/m²/day — comparable to the best solar regions on Earth.

For homeowners, none of this changes what you pay today — but it does change the case for batteries. Big utility solar will keep crashing midday wholesale prices and lifting evening prices, which sharpens the math on storage. See our battery cost guide and best energy provider for solar for what that actually means at the household level.

What about residential? The rooftop revolution

Utility-scale gets headlines, but rooftop solar is still the bigger story. Australia hit 4.3 million rooftop systems by mid-2026, total capacity over 27 GW — bigger than every coal-fired power station in the NEM combined. The 100,000th Cheaper Home Batteries Program rebate was claimed in early 2026; total residential battery fleet has passed 350,000 systems and around 4 GWh of distributed storage. For the rebate breakdown see our solar rebate guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Australia's largest operational solar farm in 2026?

ACEN Australia's New England Solar Farm Stage 1 at 720 MW AC, near Uralla in the NSW New England Renewable Energy Zone. Co-located with a 50 MW battery and generating roughly 1.8 TWh per year.

What is Australia's largest planned solar project?

SunCable's Australia-Asia PowerLink — a proposed 6 GW solar farm in the Northern Territory exporting power via HVDC subsea cable to Singapore. Major Project Status renewed July 2025, FID targeted 2027.

Where will Queensland's biggest solar farm be?

Bulli Creek, on the QLD–NSW border, developed by Genex Power. Stage 1 is 775 MW solar plus 1,200 MWh of battery storage, with a total build-out target of 2 GW — which would make it Australia's largest grid-connected solar project.

How many solar farms operate in Australia?

Over 130 utility-scale projects (10 MW+) are operational across the National Electricity Market plus the SWIS in WA, totalling more than 12 GW. The Clean Energy Regulator and RenewEconomy's solar farm map track the full list.

Is SunCable actually going to happen?

It now has federal environmental approval (Aug 2024), renewed Major Project Status (July 2025), Singaporean conditional approval, and committed equity from Quinbrook and Squadron Energy. The remaining barrier is the ~$30 billion capital raise. SunCable says investor interest is strong; the realistic operational window is 2030–2032.

What is the Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) model?

REZs are designated regions with high renewable potential, shared transmission infrastructure, and streamlined planning approvals. NSW has five (Central-West Orana, New England, Hunter-Central Coast, Illawarra, South-West) and QLD has six (Northern, Far North, Central, Southern, Banana, Darling Downs). REZs are why projects can scale so fast in those regions.

Is rooftop solar bigger than utility solar in Australia?

Yes. As of mid-2026, rooftop solar is over 27 GW installed across 4.3 million homes — bigger than utility-scale solar plus all NEM coal-fired capacity. Distributed solar regularly supplies more than 100% of South Australia's demand on sunny days.

How much do these projects cost?

Utility-scale solar in Australia currently lands around AU$1.1–$1.4 million per MW for solar-only, and AU$1.6–$2.2 million per MW including 2–4 hour battery storage. A 500 MW project is therefore a $600M–$700M build; SunCable's full 6 GW + subsea cable is estimated at AU$30 billion+.

Why are most big projects in NSW and QLD?

Combination of high solar irradiance, large flat land parcels, supportive state policy (Queensland Energy Jobs Plan, NSW Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap), proximity to demand centres, and the REZ transmission rollout. WA has comparable resource but a separate grid (SWIS) which constrains the project economics.

What does this mean for my power bill?

More utility solar is pushing daytime wholesale prices down (often negative in the middle of the day) and concentrating value in the evening peak. That sharpens the case for home batteries — and reduces solar export FiTs. See our breakdown of Brisbane FiTs in 2026 and the 25-year household savings math.