NBN Taps Munna Creek, Hits 100% Renewables

• NBN Co hits 100% renewables via Munna Creek solar offtake; PPA locks 20%+ output as bifacial-tracked PV readies battery boost—showcasing corporate PPAs powering Australia’s transition.

Australia’s NBN Co has begun offtake from the 120-MWac Munna Creek solar farm on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, hitting its 100% renewable electricity target. Developed with Metlen (formerly Mytilineos), the plant uses about 255,000 panels across 467 hectares near Gympie; NBN’s PPA secures over 20% of expected annual output.

The utility-scale PV employs bifacial modules on single-axis trackers, string inverters, and plant-level reactive support, with reserved headroom for a future battery to shift energy into evening peaks and provide frequency services. The deal underscores corporate PPAs’ role amid volatile wholesale markets, de-risking financing for generators and accelerating Australia’s energy transition.

How does NBN’s Munna Creek PPA support grid stability and evening peak demand?

• Revenue certainty from the PPA de-risks adding a battery, enabling time-shifting of solar into the 5–9 pm peak and unlocking participation in FCAS/fast-frequency markets.
  
• Advanced inverters provide fast reactive power, voltage regulation, ride-through, and controlled ramping, stabilizing frequency and voltage during disturbances.
  
• Operating below nameplate at times preserves headroom for grid support and ancillary services, improving system resilience.
  
• Single-axis trackers push generation later into the afternoon, softening the “duck-curve” ramp and easing evening peak pressure.
  
• Bifacial modules lift late-day yield via reflected light, improving output as demand rises.
  
• Locational benefit near SEQ load centers reduces reliance on distant generators, easing transmission congestion and supporting local voltage.
  
• Retail firming typically linked to corporate PPAs covers evening demand with storage/hydro/peakers, smoothing NBN’s net grid draw.
  
• Better curtailment management: with a committed offtaker, the plant can optimize around constraints and prioritize stability-support modes over spilling energy.
• Market signal effect: the contract accelerates more PV-plus-storage builds, increasing dispatchable renewable capacity that targets evening peaks across the NEM.