Vestas has secured an engineering, procurement and construction contract for Ratch-Australia Corporation’s 227MW Collector wind farm in the Australian state of New South Wales.
The deal includes the supply of 54 Vestas V117-4.2MW turbines with 91.5-metre hub heights and an up to 25-year active output management 5000 service agreement with an energy-based availability guarantee.
Commercial operations are scheduled to start in the second half of 2020.
This site-specific solution has been designed to maximise annual energy production and provide Ratch-Australia with long-term business case certainty for the project, Vestas said.
The Australian government-owned Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) is providing A$180m for the project as sole debt financier.
CEFC will finance the project on a merchant basis, meaning it is assuming market risk on the project’s revenue rather than providing funding conditional on securing long-term power purchase agreements, Vestas said.
Vestas Asia-Pacific president Clive Turton said: “The Collector wind farm demonstrates the increasing attractiveness of wind energy as a cost-effective provider of electricity and as an attractive and bankable investment.
“Vestas is pleased to bring our leading technology, experience and knowledge to provide a customised energy solution for Collector, and to make it the latest in a series of CEFC-funded renewable energy projects that are supporting Australia’s transition to a low-carbon energy system.”
Ratch-Australia’s executive general manager for business development Anthony Yeates said: “Vestas has developed a competitive solution that meets site specific requirements.
“Following the successful completion of our 180MW Mount Emerald Wind farm in North Queensland, we are extremely pleased to be continuing our relationship with Vestas. They continue to be one of our most trusted partners.”
Meanwhile, in Brazil EDF Renewables has placed a turbine order for the 147MW Folha Larga wind farm to be located at the municipality of Campo Formoso in the state of Bahia.
The contract includes the supply and installation of 35 Vestas V150-4.2MW machines with 105-metre hub heights.
The nacelles will be manufactured at the Vestas’ factory in Ceara, while blades and towers will also be locally produced under the Brazilian Development Bank Finamce II rules.
Vestas managing director for Brazil and Southern LATAM Rogerio Zampronha said: “This project adds to the more than 1.5GW we have already installed in the country and it once again showcases the strong fit of our locally produced V150-4.2MW turbine to the Brazilian market.
“We are very pleased to work with a leading global company like EDF in Brazil.”