1414 Degrees orders Aurora solar systems after securing ownership

• Securing full ownership has removed Aurora’s joint venture structure and simplifies negotiations with customers and financiers
• 1414 Degrees has ordered 5B Maverick systems for Aurora’s initial 70MW solar development
• Proposed grid connections and customer agreements underpin staged development, with delivery subject to financing

Special Report:1414 Degrees has moved quickly to order solar systems for Aurora Energy Precinct’s first development stage after taking full ownership of the South Australian project.

The purchase order is for the 5B Maverick solar photovoltaic solution which will provide 70MW across 42 hectares at Aurora near Port Augusta.

At the project, 1414 Degrees (ASX:14D) plans to combine renewable generation, storage and infrastructure for major power users.

This order follows the company completing the acquisition of Vast Solar Aurora on October 20, bringing the remaining 50% of precinct owner SiliconAurora into the group.

The company says sole ownership simplifies negotiations with prospective customers, infrastructure partners and financiers across the 16km2 site.

14D executive chair Kevin Moriarty said the solar order marked another step towards delivery.

“The Maverick layout allows us to accommodate considerably more solar capacity within the available land, supporting staged expansion alongside storage, connection infrastructure and customer demand,” he said.

“We are progressing power purchase agreements, infrastructure partnerships and financing for project delivery.”

More solar within the footprint

1414 Degrees has selected the Australian-designed 5B Maverick as the preferred solar deployment system for Aurora.

5B will manufacture the systems at its Adelaide facility. Factory assembly and testing of panels, cabling and connections reduce work on site, where the prefabricated units unfold for installation.

The initial deployment sits within Aurora’s approved 200-hectare solar footprint. The company estimates the compact layout could accommodate more than 300MW within that area, subject to detailed design and any required approval variations.

Across the wider precinct, the layout supports indicative solar potential of about 2GW.

Stage 1 also includes an approved 140MW/280MWh battery, which has cleared AEMO’s technical requirements.

14D is negotiating commercial transmission access with ElectraNet and a BHP subsidiary for a proposed 275kV connection. The deal would provide access to the transmission line supplying BHP mines and the National Electricity Market.

In parallel, the company is progressing a proposed 33kV pathway to support data centre development and electric vehicle charging.

Aurora’s planned behind-the-meter supply would serve customers directly within the precinct.

The company is also involved in a non-binding heads of agreement with an Australian data centre operator which proposes up to 1GW of AI data centre infrastructure.

Electricity demand drives infrastructure investment

Solar infrastructure has a growing role in replacing retiring coal generation and supplying an increasingly electrified economy.

AEMO’s June 2026 Integrated System Plan forecasts underlying National Electricity Market consumption to rise from about 205TWh to 390TWh by 2049-50.

The AEMO’s Step Change scenario assumes data centres reach almost 10% of underlying demand by then, although the growth remains uncertain.

Meeting that demand requires generation, storage and network investment together. AEMO identifies renewables connected by transmission and distribution, firmed with storage and backed by gas, as the lowest-cost transition pathway.

Prices also face competing pressures. CSIRO’s July 2026 GenCost release puts the average national energy market (NEM) generation price at about $104/MWh in 2025, down from $189/MWh in 2022.

CSIRO reports futures-based expectations of $80-$90/MWh by 2030 as cheaper batteries and additional capacity influence the market.

The Port Auregion already hosts Iberdrola’s operating 317MW Port Augusta Renewable Energy Park, combining 210MW of wind with 107MW of solar.

For Aurora, combining solar with storage and prospective on-site customers could help match generation with demand. Commercial agreements will determine how that model develops.

1414 Degrees is pursuing customer commitments, infrastructure partners and project finance.

Delivery and installation of the solar systems remain subject to final technical and commercial arrangements and financing.

This article was developed in collaboration with 1414 Degrees, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing.

This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.

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