Erection of wind turbines at the Musselroe Wind Farm in north east Tasmania has moved one step closer with the first tower components transported to the site.
The $400 million Musselroe project will have 56 wind turbines, with a total generating capacity of 168MW. This would power 50,000 homes, equal to the residential power needs of Burnie and Devonport combined.
Each turbine tower is fabricated in three parts, making a total of 168 sections to be transported, each of which is between 24-29m in length. The tower components range in weight from 28-76 tonnes.
Custom-built truck/trailer systems will be used to transport the tower components from Launceston-based Haywards Steel Fabrication and Construction to the wind farm site at Cape Portland in north east Tasmania.
Erection of towers at the Musselroe Wind Farm will begin in November this year.
Hydro Tasmania rejected suggestions Tasmanians are not reaping the benefits of jobs created through construction of the wind farm.
Hydro Tasmania CEO Roy Adair said the construction phase of the project has been structured to deliver the greatest possible benefit to the Tasmanian community.
“Where possible, Hydro Tasmania has maximised the use of Tasmanian suppliers, including selecting Launceston-based business Haywards Steel fabrication and construction as the preferred provider of towers,” Mr Adair said.
More than 200 workers will be employed over the life of the project.
