Vestas passes 1GW mark for wind orders in Australia in 2018, with 184MW WA project
Global
wind energy giant Vestas notched up more than 1GW of turbine orders in
Australia over the course of 2018, as the large-scale renewable energy market continues
to boom Down Under.
The
company reached the milestone in late December, after winning the engineering,
procurement and construction contract to build a 184MW wind farm in Western
Australia, a project being developed by Bright Energy Investments.
The Warradarge Wind Farm, which is on
track to begin construction later this year in the state’s mid-west, has since been
given the green light by the WA state government
The
site for the wind farm, near the town of Eneabba, has been praised by both
Vestas and newly appointed state energy minister Bill Johnston for its
“abundant” wind resource.
“The
wind farm will have a total output of 180 megawatts with a 50pc capacity factor
– the equivalent of the average annual electricity needs of 135,000 WA homes,”
Johnston said in comments earlier this month.
“The
state government remains committed to ensuring a transition to a renewable
energy future at the lowest cost possible to WA taxpayers.
“By
developing renewables projects, we are demonstrating our commitment to ensuring
our State meets its 2020 Large-scale Renewable Energy Target obligations.”
Vestas
says the project will feature 51 V136-3.45MW turbines delivered in 3.6MW Power
Optimised Mode with hub heights of 84 meters to maximise performance in its
specific wind conditions.
The
wind farm also signals a new focus for Vestas on the WA market , which has
lagged behind the rest of Australia on large-scale wind and solar
installations.
This happily coincides with a new focus on
large-scale renewables by the Labor McGowan government, which late last
year opened up the state’s south-west interconnected network to just under 1GW
of new big solar and wind, and appointed a new energy minister – Johnston – to
shepherd the process.
“We
are extremely pleased to work with Bright Energy Investments on this project,”
said Vestas Asia Pacific President Clive Turton in comments.
“It
has extraordinary wind conditions and will make an important contribution to
powering Western Australia with competitive renewable energy.
“After
the Warradarge Wind Farm comes online, Vestas will have an installed base of
561MW in Western Australia, expanding our service footprint and capability to
support future projects in the state.”
Bright
Energy Investments (BEI) is a joint venture between state-owned gen-tailer
Synergy, global infrastructure fund DIF and super fund Cbus.
The
group’s general manager of investments, Tom Frood, said the “high calibre of
the parties involved” and the appointment of Vestas would ensure that wind farm
was delivered on-schedule.
“Synergy
has a strong history in Western Australian solar and wind assets, and is
committed to increasing its renewable energy portfolio, and Vestas’ rich
industry expertise and proven track record will ensure that the first power
generation is on track for 2020”.
Vestas
has also signed up to a 30-year Active Output Management 5000 (AOM 5000)
service agreement, designed to maximise energy production for the lifetime of
the project.
