Retail landlord Stockland and Curtis Pitt, Queensland Treasurer and Minister for Trade and Investment have surveyed the first project to be delivered in Australia’s largest ever retail property solar program.
Stockland will commence work on the $3.4 million solar project at Stockland Cairns in coming months, the first of 10 projects to be installed nationally. The 1.6mW Cairns solar roof installation will comprise 5,200 panels, with each panel weighing 23kg.
Mark Steinert, Managing Director and CEO of Stockland joined Treasurer Pitt for an inspection of the Cairns installation and to discuss the solar rollout, which will set a new
“Five centres in regional Queensland will see solar panels rolled out across their rooftops adding to the mix of residential and large-scale commercial and industrial solar projects supplying clean and renewable energy,” said the Minister.
“Queensland currently has the highest installed capacity of rooftop solar panels in Australia and one of the highest penetration rates of anywhere in the world so it makes sense to have a big part of this project here in the Sunshine State particularly in Cairns.
Minister for Energy Mark Bailey said this was further evidence the Sunshine State was turning into the Solar State.
“We’re well on our way to meeting our target for one million Queensland rooftops with solar or 3,000 megawatts of total solar by 2020,” Bailey said.
The Cairns installation forms part of a broader $23.5 million national investment in solar, with Stockland installing more than 39,000 Photo-Voltaic (PV) panels, comparable in size to more than 9 rugby fields, across ten retail centres.
Combined, the project is expected to produce 17.2 GWh of energy every year, the equivalent to driving an electric car around the world 2,381 times.
“This solar project is an important step for renewable energy in Queensland, playing a significant role in the transition to a lower carbon energy future,” said Mark Steinert, managing director and CEO of Stockland.
Stockland has already installed solar projects across centres in Shellharbour, Wetherill Park and Nowra in NSW, as well as an existing installation at Stockland Green Hills, which will be expanded as part of this project. These projects have generated over 2.3 million kwh of energy.
Fast fashion giant opens
Elsewhere in Queensland, Stockland Townsville has seen the opening of Swedish fast fashion retailer H&M’s latest store.
The new 2,500 square metre store, located in the heart of the regional shopping centre, will feature fashion apparel for men, women and kids, as well as accessories and homewares.
John Schroder, Group Executive and CEO Commercial Property, said “the opening of H&M is an exceptional retail coup for this centre and for the region”.
“We are proud to have brought one of the biggest global fashion retailers to Northern Queensland, further complementing the centres strong retail offering including the regions only Myer, a long list of leading national retailers and over 180 specialty stores,” he said.
Minister Assisting the Premier on North Queensland and Member for Mundingburra Coralee O’Rourke said the opening of H&M was another boost of confidence in Townsville’s economy.
“Having an international giant like H&M choose Townsville for the location of their first store in Northern Australia is a real sign of the growing confidence in our local economy and a boon for local jobs,” O’Rourke said.
Stockland has seven shopping centres in regional Queensland and an asset value of $1.4 billion. Almost 800 retailers operate in one of seven Stockland shopping centres in the region.
“Today’s opening is a great example of how we’re investing in new opportunities that lift the calibre and quality of our entire retail portfolio,” said Schroder.
Stockland Townsville has recently welcomed a number of new retailers including Endota Spa, House and Build a Bear, with Rip Curl also opening in mid-December and Emma and Roe Jewellery confirmed to open before Easter 2018.
Stockland Townsville, which is 50 per cent owned by AMP Capital, is located in the geographical heart of Townsville and houses the regions only full-line Myer department store along with Woolworths, Coles, Kmart, Big W, a 700 seat food court and 180 specialty stores.
Following the $180 million redevelopment of the centre in 2012, Stockland continues to progress plans for a future Entertainment and Leisure Precinct at Stockland Townsville.
This is the second H&M in the Stockland portfolio with a third to open at Stockland Rockhampton on 2 November. H&M entered the Australian market in 2014 and now has 23 stores open across Australia and more than 4,500 stores in 68 markets worldwide.
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