A supply agreement between Tindo and Bowen Pipeline Company will see 30MW of Australian-made solar panels supplied to the North Queensland water project during 2026 and 2027.

The pipeline project is expected to use 52,174 Tindo 575W ‘Walara’ utility panels to power pumps and other machinery.

Bowen Pipeline Company is developing the project, which is aiming to be Australia’s first ‘net-zero pipeline’.

The proposed Bowen Water Pipeline will bring water from the Burdekin River at Home Hill, south-east to Bowen.

Bowen Pipeline Company director Sean Brown said it would provide a large area of agricultural land with reliable irrigation, improving productivity and generating 1,200 jobs and economic growth of $300 million a year.

“We are delighted to be fulfilling our goals of utilising Australian-made solar panels and other Australian world-leading technologies such as onsite HDPE pipe manufacturing and fibre optic leak detection,” Mr Brown said.

“The Bowen Water Pipeline is an ambitious project that builds economic growth in Australia and we want to use Australian expertise and equipment wherever we can.”

Tindo’s panels recently topped a CHOICE survey of 15 solar panels available in the Australian market. The CHOICE power output test revealed the 410W Tindo panel delivered 417W, while the other solar panels in the review produced less than the manufacturer’s claimed output.

“We make a panel that can withstand the Australian climate,” Tindo chief executive officer Richard Petterson said.

“A panel must have a long life to be able to abate the CO2 that was used making and shipping the product, and we believe Tindo is a great fit with the goals of the Bowen Water Pipeline.”

The Bowen Water Pipeline is expected to win final approvals before the end of the year, with construction hoped to begin in 2026.