WestWind Energy has chosen GE Renewable Energy to co-develop Australia’s largest wind farm, with a capacity of more than 1GW.
GE will provide 200 of its Cypress turbines for the Golden Plains project, near Rokewood in Victoria.
Construction of Golden Plains is expected to start in 2021 with the project being completed in stages, so that all the capacity will come online in 2025.
Golden Plains wind farm has been in development for over eight years, with support from local landowners and the community.
WestWind Energy managing director Tobias Geiger said: “WestWind Energy’s roots are local – we are a team of just 16, all of whom are based in Victoria.
“We operate in a different way to the big utilities and developers – we work where we live and are part of the local fabric. This project will make a huge difference to the community, with many local jobs created during construction and operation as well as providing drought proof income to 40 host land holders.”
The developer has committed to a community benefit programme and recently established a reference group to ensure the local community benefits from the wind farm.
WestWind and GE will work closely together through the development phase to drive value for the project, including layout and grid connection optimisation.
Mayor of Golden Plains Shire Owen Sharkey said: “We’re thrilled to hear of the progress on Golden Plains wind farm.
“The project has been in development for a number of years over the course of which WestWind has built trust with the local community via collaborative consultation.
“We look forward to the benefits the project will bring to the region for many years to come.”
GE onshore wind Australia sales director David Lian added: “We listened closely to WestWind Energy to ensure the right value levers were targeted for both the project and WestWind as the developer.”
The first wind farm project using GE’s Cypress turbines in Australia is the 244MW Bango wind farm, which will commence construction in New South Wales in September.
GE is supplying 46 of turbines to the project, being developed by Partners Group and CWP near Yass.
The two-piece blade design for the Cypress platform enables blades to be manufactured at even longer lengths and improving logistics to drive costs down and offer more siting options, in locations that were previously inaccessible.