Sterling And Wilson Sets 500MW Australian Solar Goal

Sterling and Wilson is moving beyond supplying diesel generators and cogeneration energy solutions in Australia – it has set its sights on scoring 500MW of large scale solar EPC contracts here in the next three years.

Headquartered in Mumbai, India, the company has built a large solar EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction/Commissioning) arm in recent years, with 1,930 MW of solar plants under its belt to date; including a 170MW project in Morocco.

The company’s biggest claim to fame on the solar scene that will give its commissioned-project portfolio a mighty boost is a 1,177 MW solar PV plant currently under construction in Sweihan, Abu Dhabi that will feature JinkoSolar panels.

That facility is expected to be completed and exporting electricity to the grid by May 2019. Once commissioned, it will generate enough electricity to supply the equivalent of 195,000 homes and avoid 7 million tonnes of carbon emissions annually.

Ongoing energy policy uncertainty in Australia certainly doesn’t seem to have dampened the company’s desire to spread its wings here. However, perhaps that’s why it has set a 3 year goal – as at this point, there’s little to encourage the development of new large scale solar power past 2020.

“Australia is witnessing a solar boom, as the country has had a phenomenal year with respect to large scale solar projects,” said Bikesh Ogra, CEO of the company’s Renewable Energy division.  “As a truly global solar EPC company with experience across geographies, we not only want to bring our best practices to the industry, but also learn alongside our peers to attain our target of 500 MW’s installations.”

The company says the Australian goal will involve AUD $600 million in projects and generate employment for more than 750 people during construction.

Sterling and Wilson has expanded rapidly, from being predominantly focused on India in 2010, to having established a presence in the Middle East, Africa, Australia,  Europe, the USA and South America today.

In addition to solar power EPC services, the company is involved with the manufacture and supply of diesel generators, gas-fired power plants, waste to energy plants, turnkey data centres, transmission and distribution related solutions, and is also beginning to dabble in wind power and energy storage.