In a powerful partnership between Google, AirTrunk and European Energy Australia, the Mulwala Solar Farm in the Riverina region of New South Wales, is nearing completion.

The Mulwala Solar Farm was first announced in 2023 as part of a corporate power purchase agreement designed to support the development of new renewable generation capacity. Once operational, the project will start exporting renewable energy into the National Electricity Market.

As demand for digital infrastructure continues to rise, the project highlights the growing role of major technology companies and data centre operators in supporting renewable energy investment.

Linking digital growth with clean energy

The partners behind the Mulwala Solar Farm highlight that there is growing demand for matching new renewable energy generation with artificial intelligence, cloud computing and data-intensive services.

Bikash Koley, Vice President of Global Infrastructure at Google, shared the company is focused on growing Australia’s digital economy to support decarbonisation nation-wide efforts.

“Australia has ambitious energy goals, and we want to ensure the growth of the nation’s digital economy directly accelerates the transition to a cleaner grid,” he said.

Koley added that the Mulwala Solar Farm forms part of Google’s Digital Future Initiative in Australia and the company’s long-term goal of operating on carbon-free energy around the clock.

Blueprint for collaboration

Damien Spillane, Chief Customer and Innovation Officer at AirTrunk, shared that hyperscale data centres have an important role to play in Australia’s energy transition.

“We believe hyperscale data centres can help accelerate Australia’s energy transition by supporting investment in new renewable energy and strengthening long-term energy security,” Damien said.

Catriona McLeod, Managing Director at European Energy Australia, explained that partnerships between large energy users and renewable developers provide confidence for future investment.

“Partnerships like this one give the industry confidence as we develop more solar and wind farms and bring more renewables online,” she said.

The Mulwala Solar Farm is expected to serve as an example of how corporate renewable energy procurement can help unlock new generation projects while supporting Australia’s decarbonisation goals.

As electricity demand from data centres and artificial intelligence applications continues to grow, similar partnerships are likely to play an important role in expanding renewable energy capacity across the National Electricity Market.