Iberdrola’s Broadsound Solar Farm Hits Golden Row Milestone in Queensland

• First panels installed at Iberdrola’s 377-MWdc Broadsound project in Central Queensland, clearing the path for a 180-MW battery and power for 145,000 homes.

Iberdrola has crossed a key checkpoint on its first Queensland venture, sliding the “Golden Row” of photovoltaic panels into place at the 377-MWdc Broadsound Solar Farm near Clarke Creek, roughly 150 km northwest of Rockhampton. The inaugural string acts as a quality benchmark for every component that follows, signalling that full-scale construction is officially under way. 

Spread across 900 hectares in Central Queensland’s Renewable Energy Zone, Broadsound will eventually host about 610,000 bifacial modules capable of tracking the sun across the outback sky. The array sits on the traditional lands of the Barada Kabalbara Yetimarala people and will connect to Powerlink’s nearby 275-kV substation, feeding clean power straight into Australia’s National Electricity Market.

A 180-MW/360-MWh battery energy-storage system will be built alongside the panels, soaking up excess daytime generation and releasing it after sunset. Once fully commissioned—targeted for mid-2026—the combined solar-plus-storage plant should supply enough electricity for about 145,000 households and help firm Queensland’s rapidly expanding renewables fleet.

Construction is expected to create up to 350 jobs during a two-year build programme, providing a boost to local contractors and service providers. Iberdrola has also set up a Community Benefit Fund to channel long-term support toward regional projects chosen by residents.

Environmental initiatives baked into the plan include creek-bed regeneration, soil-health improvements, and research on the endemic cycad Cycas terryana, illustrating Iberdrola’s pledge to leave the landscape in better shape than it found it.

For Iberdrola, Broadsound marks both a geographic expansion and a scale-up in ambition. The Spanish utility already operates 1.7 GW of wind, solar and battery assets across Australia; adding a flagship project in Queensland strengthens its foothold in a state racing to source 70 % of electricity from renewables by 2032. With the Golden Row now in place, the company says the rest of Broadsound’s panels will follow quickly—moving the landmark plant from blueprint to reality in the space of 18 months.