Based in the Riverland of South Australia, Yates Electrical Services (YES GROUP) have been providing high quality construction services to the renewable energy sector since 2004. Established by Riverland local Mark Yates, the company has been instrumental in the development of numerous renewable high-voltage projects across Australia, including high voltage substation construction and wind and solar farm project development. Over the last 5 years, YES Group has developed and constructed over 80 solar farms in the sub 5MW market, managing 100% of the renewable energy generation offtake into the National Electricity Market through its YES Energy Retail business.
It is with a continued focus on providing these high quality solutions that YES Group have now entered into a long-term agreement with Sustainable Energy Infrastructure (SEI) to develop, own, operate, maintain and manage the energy sales for a platform of mid-large scale solar farm projects in regional Australia. The first phase of this undertaking will see SEI and YES Group developing up to 20MW of new solar farms within the next 18 months across South Australia and Victoria, with the first two projects in South Australia expected to commence construction this calendar year.
SEI - managed by Whitehelm Capital on behalf of a consortium of Australian superannuation funds - recognises the value of developing and providing sustainable energy solutions across regional Australia. This long-term partnership between SEI and YES Group - an established renewable energy asset developer, operator and retailer - is a strong fit considering the shared philosophy on risk, safety, quality and environment and social values.
Saji Anantakrishnan, Whitehelm’s Head of Australia and Asia, on behalf of SEI’s unitholders, said “We look forward to working with Mark Yates and YES Group to deliver a portfolio of efficient energy solutions with a strong focus on sustainability and supporting local communities, consistent with SEI and Whitehelm Capital’s approach to responsible investment.
“The partnership between SEI and YES Group is typical of our mid-market infrastructure strategy, which focuses on building long-term complementary partnerships with experienced industry counterparties to ensure strong value creation through an identified pipeline of growth opportunities.”
Mark Yates, Managing Director YES Group, said “We are thrilled to be partnering with SEI to build and operate a portfolio of distributed solar assets across regional Australia. This deal is right in the sweet spot for YES Group, leveraging our high-voltage and construction expertise along with our YES Energy capability to manage the sale of energy, ultimately through to the end consumers. This is an exciting long-term strategic relationship with great potential as the energy market continues to evolve through its transition to renewables.
“We share SEI’s commitment to local communities and welcome both the job creation and job certainty which is underpinned by this investment.”
The first projects to commence include a 4MW site in Renmark and a 2MW development in Bowmans, both of which already have development approval, allowing works on the sites to begin immediately.
Saji Anantakrishnan, Whitehelm’s Head of Australia and Asia, on behalf of SEI’s unitholders, said “We look forward to working with Mark Yates and YES Group to deliver a portfolio of efficient energy solutions with a strong focus on sustainability and supporting local communities, consistent with SEI and Whitehelm Capital’s approach to responsible investment.
“The partnership between SEI and YES Group is typical of our mid-market infrastructure strategy, which focuses on building long-term complementary partnerships with experienced industry counterparties to ensure strong value creation through an identified pipeline of growth opportunities.”
Mark Yates, Managing Director YES Group, said “We are thrilled to be partnering with SEI to build and operate a portfolio of distributed solar assets across regional Australia. This deal is right in the sweet spot for YES Group, leveraging our high-voltage and construction expertise along with our YES Energy capability to manage the sale of energy, ultimately through to the end consumers. This is an exciting long-term strategic relationship with great potential as the energy market continues to evolve through its transition to renewables.
“We share SEI’s commitment to local communities and welcome both the job creation and job certainty which is underpinned by this investment.”
The first projects to commence include a 4MW site in Renmark and a 2MW development in Bowmans, both of which already have development approval, allowing works on the sites to begin immediately.
About the Author
Patrick is the Marketing and Communications Manager at Yates Electrical Services. When he's not designing stuff and writing stories, he performs as an acoustic soloist and spends time with his beautiful little family.
Patrick also likes long walks on the beach, sewing, and photoshopping himself to look like an Avenger. He really wishes he was an Avenger.
