Global renewable energy developer BayWa r.e. has sold the first of its new Australian wind farm developments to energy infrastructure company Epic Energy.
The two wind farms, known as Timboon West and Yawong, are located in Western Victoria and were acquired by BayWa r.e. in 2017 as part of their investment in the Future Energy team and pipeline of wind and solar projects.
During 2018, BayWa r.e., contracted, financed and constructed the two projects with commercial operations achieved by the end of that year.
The projects have been sold with a 15-year O&M contract in place with Vestas and a PPA to sell 100 per cent of the power to Alinta Energy until 2030.
With a combined capacity of 14.4MW generated from four Vestas V126 3.6 MW turbines, the wind farms will produce enough clean energy to power 9000 Australian homes.
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Managing Director of BayWa r.e. Wind David Shapero said the sale of the wind farms marks an important milestone in furthering the company’s wind farm investment in both Australia and the wider APAC region.
“Having only started construction of these projects in March 2018, we are delighted to have these wind farms operational and sold in little more than a year,” he said.
“Of course, the Future Energy team were involved from much earlier, progressing the projects from greenfield and we are rapt to see the projects realised. The APAC region is an extremely important market for us and we are pleased to be advancing the region’s renewable energy credentials with these projects.”
BayWa r.e. will continue to support Epic Energy on the Timboon West and Yawong wind farms, providing ongoing technical management in the immediate term through its team in Melbourne.
Epic Energy Chief Executive Officer Clive D’Cruz said as Epic Energy’s first investment in renewable energy, the Timboon West and Yawong wind farms mark an important new chapter in the company’s history.
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“As a long term owner and operator of energy infrastructure, we are excited to leverage our knowledge, experience and capabilities to meet Australia’s transitioning energy needs, and look forward to continuing to work with BayWa r.e. and building on the relationship established through this acquisition,” he said.
Across the globe, BayWa r.e. has brought over 2500 MW of wind and solar projects online and its plans are no less ambitious for Australia, with further wind and solar farms in development and construction. BayWa r.e.’s Yatpool solar farm is expected to be operational by the end of 2019.
