reason to stay in or return to their communities.” This personal passion for rural diversification and environmental sustainability permeates every aspect of ENGIE’s operations, from the planning stages to daily management and long-term community engagement. Leigh also highlights ENGIE’s proactive approach to asset management, which will surely benefit the Goorambat East Solar Farm in the long run. The company actively monitors operational telemetry, tracking everything from solar panel soiling to outage frequencies. “We pull data from our projects globally, which allows us to optimise performance and extend the operational life of our assets,” he says. This data-driven strategy enables ENGIE to make informed decisions about maintenance, upgrades, and even life-extension strategies. In some cases, this has allowed the company to extend the operational life of assets from 30 years to 35 years, providing more value and a longer return on investment for both ENGIE and its partners. The Goorambat East Solar Farm is not an isolated endeavour; it is part of a larger pipeline of renewable projects that ENGIE is developing across Australia. In Victoria alone, the company is also developing an expansion of its 150 MW/ 1 hour Hazelwood battery energy storage system on the site of its former Hazelwood coal-fired power station. Additionally, the company is working on other co-located solar, wind and battery projects in Australia. “By blending energy from multiple sources—solar, battery, and even wind—we can provide grid stability and a larger renewable mix MARCH 2025
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