Argentina solar plant opens as Australia wind-storage and Scottish tidal plans advance
Genneia opened the 129 MW San Juan Sur solar farm in Argentina after investing about $110 million, using roughly 250,000 bifacial modules on 500 hectares and targeting industrial and mining buyers. EDF Power Solutions Australia submitted a 420 MW wind farm with a 200 MW/800 MWh battery near Uralla, New South Wales, for federal environmental review, with construction tentatively set for 2030. Orbital Marine Power obtained European Commission clearance for a 9.6 MW tidal array in Orkney, Scotland, which would use four turbines including three next-generation O2-X units.
Genneia's San Juan Sur plant adds about 350 MW of operating solar capacity in San Juan and is its fourth solar site there and seventh in Cuyo. Its output, roughly 374 GWh yearly, is aimed at industrial and mining buyers via Argentina's term market.
EDF's Balala proposal pairs 60 turbines with a 200 MW/800 MWh battery in New England Renewable Energy Zone, potentially serving about 150,000 homes annually. Orbital's EURO-TIDES array would use three O2-X units plus one O2 turbine, backed by Horizon Europe and partners including EMEC and University of Edinburgh.
These projects could affect local communities through construction jobs, land use, and grid upgrades, while industrial and mining buyers may gain more renewable supply. Australian households might benefit if added wind and storage support reliability, though impacts depend on transmission and approvals. In Orkney, tidal deployment may support marine-energy research and local skills, while ecological and navigational effects may require monitoring.