Adani plans to start work on the first stage of its $200 million Rugby Run solar farm at Moranbah by the end of the year, following a development approval by Isaac Regional Council.

Adani Renewables chief executive officer Jennifer Purdie said preparatory work, including cultural heritage surveys and engineering design, had commenced and orders for critical equipment were being secured.

“This is an exciting project in terms of its size, location, and the technology we are using,” Dr Purdie said.

“This will be Adani Renewables’ first project – the first of many – and we thank the Isaac Regional Council, in particular Mayor Anne Baker and her officers for their assistance and encouragement.”

The $100 million 65MW first stage of Rugby Run Solar Farm is expected to use the latest mono-PERC technology and single axis tracking systems developed to improve efficiency and output. Further stages are planned to take the generation capacity up to 170MW.

It will be built on a 600ha block that was part of the Rugby Run grazing property.

Construction is expected to take about 12 months, with a workforce peak of up to 150 employees during construction. Once operational it would employ up to six staff.

Adani, the largest solar energy generator in India, aims to have a raft of Australian solar projects with a total capacity of 1500MW within the next five years in addition its $16.5 billion Carmichael coal project.