Construction is set to begin on Goldwind’s 148MW Cattle Hill Wind Farm, located in central Tasmania.
The construction of the wind farm, consisting of up to 49 turbines, is expected to create 150 jobs during construction and employ up to 10 permanent maintenance staff when fully operational in 2019.
The developer announced Tasmanian civil construction company, Hazell Brothers, will be one of the key partners for the project during the construction period.
“Hazell Brothers recently successfully completed the site access works for the project,” Goldwind Australia managing director John Titchen said.
“The agreement signed allows Hazell Brothers to commence early works for the project and acknowledges them as the preferred contractor for the full civil and electrical works for the wind farm.
“Hazell Brothers has extensive experience in delivering large-scale infrastructure projects in Tasmania.”
TasNetworks will now commence all works required to connect the wind farm to the Tasmanian grid.
Tasmanian Minister for Energy Guy Barnett said the project would increase Tasmania’s wind generation by nearly half.
“Tasmania is already the nation’s renewable energy powerhouse, and the Cattle Hill project will help propel Tasmania’s reputation as a leader in renewable generation,” he said.
“It also adds to our case for a second interconnector, where Tasmania would be able to sell excess renewable energy to the mainland.
“The Tasmanian Government is dedicated to providing Tasmanians with clean, secure, reliable, and affordable energy, and the Cattle Hill Wind Farm project is another example of how the Hodgman Liberal Government is taking Tasmania to the next level.”
Once operational, the project will provide clean energy to power approximately 63,500 homes each year.
Last year, Goldwind and Aurora Energy announced a long-term partnership for the purchase of Tasmanian generated renewable energy certificates produced by the wind farm, assisting Aurora Energy to meet its obligations under national renewable energy legislation.
Power China Resource Limited (PCR), a subsidiary of POWERCHINA, has partnered with Goldwind to deliver the project.
