KUALA LUMPUR (June 10): Gamuda Bhd (KL:GAMUDA) said on Wednesday it is acquiring a stake in Hazelwood North Solar Farm and battery energy storage system in Victoria, Australia.

The 450-megawatt hybrid project is set to enter construction in 2028 with commercial operation expected in 2030, pending a final investment decision, Gamuda said in a statement. The acquisition is subject to approval from Australia’s Foreign Investment Review Board.

Transaction details on the acquisition and project’s financials were not disclosed.

The acquisition expands Gamuda’s renewable energy portfolio Down Under to three assets. The company aims to have five gigawatts of assets under development, construction, and operation by 2031 in Australia.

The original owner of Hazelwood North Solar Farm is Manthos Investments Pty Ltd, a family-owned business in the Latrobe Valley where the project is located. Manthos and Gamuda are actively exploring an expansion of the project to include a co-located data centre on the 1,100-hectare site.

The data centre could be powered directly and operate with greater independence from the wider distribution network and leveraging the battery storage system as a “shock absorber” during periods of low and high demand, Gamuda said.

“Pairing large-scale renewable generation and storage with the digital infrastructure that increasingly depends on it is a compelling model,” added Jarred Hardman, chief strategy and development officer at Gamuda Australia.