Solar Breakthrough in the NT: Long-Stalled Farms Finally Powering the Grid

After nearly five years of delays, three utility-scale solar farms in the Northern Territory—located in Katherine, Batchelor, and Manton Dam—are now finally feeding electricity into the grid. Despite being constructed years ago, complex and restrictive operating conditions meant they were effectively stranded. Owned by Italian energy giant ENI, these solar farms represent around 45MW of clean energy that is only now being fully utilised.

While these farms weren’t banned from operating, the NT System Controller imposed post-construction conditions so stringent that it made generation economically unfeasible. Jacana Energy CEO Rod Hayes described the situation as a difficult journey hampered by a lack of local integration expertise and reliance on outdated fossil fuel generators. “It’s been a really slow, turgid, expensive process to get through,” Hayes said.

Unlike other parts of Australia where off-grid solar systems—such as those at remote mines—have reached up to 80% renewable penetration, the NT’s electricity network lagged significantly behind. The main challenge: managing fluctuating solar output in a grid heavily dependent on inflexible fossil fuel power plants. Hayes likened the process to “dropping gravel into a trailer”—causing sudden shifts that legacy systems struggle to handle.

Progress began in 2022 when the 25MW Katherine solar farm added a battery system (5.68MW / 3.44MWh), enabling it to meet tough forecasting rules. That upgrade laid the groundwork for other ENI farms at Batchelor and Manton Dam (both 10MW) to come online. While Manton is still ramping up, the other two are now producing “serious levels” of electricity, according to Hayes.

Simone Rizzi, Head of ENI Plenitude Australia, praised his teams for navigating five years of regulatory hurdles. “We are proud to now supply a considerable quota of renewable energy to Territorians,” he said. While ENI’s Australian operations only generated €1 million in 2024, that number is expected to grow as output ramps up.

Meanwhile, another solar project at Batchelor built by Merrick Capital has faced legal issues. Rimfire Energy, an NT energy retailer, successfully sued the developers for delays in delivering on a power purchase agreement (PPA). The court ruled that the project failed to meet its 2021 commercial operation deadline and rejected their claims for time extensions.

Despite the slow progress, Hayes remains optimistic. “New sources of energy including renewables must be brought into the mix where it makes sense,” he said. Contracts with ENI have been renegotiated, and cost savings from renewable integration are now being realised. The NT is finally seeing the benefits of solar—better late than never.

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