Gentari Australia Completes 243MWp Solar-plus-409MWh Storage Project in New South Wales

Gentari Australia, the Australian subsidiary of Malaysian clean energy company Gentari Renewables, has achieved mechanical completion of the Maryvale Solar and Energy Storage Project near Dubbo, New South Wales, marking a significant milestone in the company’s expansion of utility-scale renewable energy and energy storage capabilities in Australia.

The completion milestone represents the conclusion of the project’s physical construction phase, with commissioning activities and grid connection works now expected to proceed ahead of the project’s commercial operation phase.

Located within the Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone (REZ), approximately 37 kilometres southeast of Dubbo, the Maryvale project covers a 360-hectare site and combines large-scale solar generation with advanced battery energy storage technology to support Australia’s transition toward a more flexible and reliable renewable energy system.

The project integrates 243MWp of solar photovoltaic generation capacity with a 172MW/409MWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery energy storage system (BESS) using a DC-coupled configuration. Under this architecture, the solar array connects directly to the battery system at the direct current level before electricity is converted to alternating current for export to the grid.

Compared with conventional AC-coupled systems, the DC-coupled design provides several technical advantages, including improved system efficiency, reduced equipment requirements and enhanced flexibility in managing renewable energy dispatch. The configuration also enables solar generation that may otherwise be curtailed during periods of peak production to be captured and stored, improving overall energy utilization.  

The facility will have a maximum export capacity of 172MW into Australia’s National Electricity Market (NEM) and will be capable of importing up to 91MW, allowing the project to provide additional flexibility and grid support services.

The engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor for the project is PCL Construction, while multiple industry partners contributed to the development, including SOLMECH, Nextpower, Stralis Energy, All Energy Contracting, EPEC Group and Essential Energy.

The project’s technology supply chain includes several global renewable energy companies. TrinaSolar supplied the photovoltaic modules, CATL provided the battery energy storage system, and Spanish inverter manufacturer Ingeteam was selected as the inverter supplier. The project represents the first DC-coupled solar-plus-storage development in eastern Australia to progress into construction.

The tracking system was supplied by Canadian racking manufacturer Polar Racking, with the Maryvale project becoming the company’s first Australian project and providing an entry point into the country’s rapidly expanding utility-scale solar market.

The Maryvale project has also secured a Long-Term Energy Service Agreement (LTESA) through the fourth tender conducted by AEMO Services under the NSW Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap, making it one of the first solar-plus-storage projects to receive support under this framework.

The project moved from construction commencement to mechanical completion in less than one year. Construction began in August 2025, with commercial operations targeted for early 2027.

Originally developed by Wirsol Energy Australia, the Maryvale project became part of Gentari’s Australian renewable energy portfolio following Gentari’s acquisition of the business in 2023.

Following mechanical completion, Gentari’s Australian clean energy portfolio has expanded to approximately 814MW across utility-scale solar farms and hybrid renewable energy projects located in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria.

Commercial operations for the Maryvale Solar and Energy Storage Project are scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2027, further strengthening Australia’s growing pipeline of renewable generation and grid-scale energy storage projects.