Diversified business conglomerate Adani Group of India has appointed Jennifer Purdie as the CEO of its renewable energy business unit in Australia. Purdie will head the Adani Australia Renewable business unit.
The move comes at a time when the company is aiming to have a total renewable energy capacity of 1,500 MW in the next few years in Australia. In November 2016, the company announced its plans to start construction of two solar power projects in Australia (see Adani Expands Big Time To Australia). One of these plants will come up at Rugby Run, near Moranbah in Central Queensdland, and the other on the northern outskirts of Whyalla in South Australia. The two projects are expected to have 150 MW of capacity each. The company is also planning to set up similar sized projects for Queensland and South Australia.
Purdie will report to Adani Australia's Country-Head and CEO Jeyakumar Janakraj. Until recently she was the Executive Director of Nexion, a technology solutions provider for the mining industry. Purdie was quoted in media reports as saying, "Renewable energy presents great opportunities for Australia, particularly for remote communities but also as a key component of balanced energy supply solutions across the nation."
Among the other positions she has held in the past, Purdie has board experience with a number of companies and institutions including the Solar Flagships Panel that advised the Commonwealth Government on solar generation.