The building of a $650 million solar thermal power plant confirms South Australia as an international leader in renewable energy, Premier Jay Weatherill says.
Mr Weatherill opened the SolarReserve office in Port Augusta on Tuesday, the company behind the 150-megawatt solar thermal power plant to be built just north of the town.
"Port Augusta is a symbol of South Australia's transition from old to new," Mr Weatherill said.
"We're already leading the world in renewable energy technologies, with global acclaim for the world's biggest lithium-ion battery."
Work is yet to begin and funding finalised, but the solar plant is expected to be up and running by 2020 when it will start providing power for the state government's schools, hospitals and other facilities under a 20-year deal.
"SolarReserve hopes to build six solar thermal projects in the state over the next 10 years," senior vice president Tom Georgis said.
Port Augusta's transition to renewables comes after the coal-fired Northern Power Station was closed in 2016 as part of the state's broader push towards sustainable power.
Those projects include the world's largest lithium-ion battery, recently built by tech billionaire Elon Musk in the state's mid-north and a $150 million renewable energy fund.
On Tuesday, the premier also turned the first sod to start work on the $450 million Lincoln Gap wind farm near Port Augusta, which is expected to create 130 jobs and will have its own 10-megawatt battery to provide storage.
"The Lincoln Gap wind farm is yet another exciting renewable energy project, creating jobs and putting downward pressure on prices," Mr Weatherill said.
