Construction starts on Australia’s largest wind farm

Wind farm turbines at sunset with long grass in foreground (yanco delta)
Image: Shutterstock

Construction will begin at Goldwind’s Stockyard Hill Wind Farm in Victoria following the endorsement of development and management plans by the Victorian Government.

The 530MW project, located west of Ballarat, will comprise 149 Goldwind advanced technology turbines.

It will be the largest wind farm in the southern hemisphere, producing enough clean energy to power almost 400,000 homes once operational.

Goldwind Australia managing director John Titchen said receiving the endorsed plans was a key project milestone.

“We look forward to continuing to work with the Victorian Government, local councils, the local community and other key partners to construct Australia’s largest wind farm,” Mr Titchen said.

Goldwind will provide engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services to the project and the warranty, operations and maintenance services once the project is operational.

Last week, Goldwind and AusNet Services signed the connection agreement for construction of connection assets for the project.

The connection agreement, which was also signed by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), set out the terms and conditions for the wind farm to connect to Victoria’s transmission network.

Origin Energy has signed a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) from the commencement of operations in 2019 to 2030.

The project is expected to create up to 300 jobs during construction peaks on site and employ up to 25 permanent maintenance staff once the wind farm is complete.

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