Australia’s Biggest Wind Project to Double in Size for First 2 GW Cluster By Saur News Bureau/ Updated On Mon, Nov 28th, 2022 Highlights : The project, which is worth $2 billion, will see the development of 180-turbine Herries Range Wind Farm to be built within the MacIntyre Wind cluster located in the Southern Queensland Renewable Energy Zone. This initiative will take up the region’s total generation capacity to over 2 GW. Australian States have constantly been ramping up efforts in renewable energy, wind energy included. Now, Queensland, dubbed as the ‘Sunshine State’, has recently revealed its aspirations with regards to what the government has termed as one of the largest wind onshore projects globally. This will entail a new 1 GW project by Acciona, a Spanish multinational conglomerate that delves into the development and management of infrastructure and renewable energy. <a href='https://secure.meilleurmedia.com/www/delivery/ck.php?n=a23dad63&cb=INSERT_RANDOM_NUMBER_HERE' target='_blank'><img src='https://secure.meilleurmedia.com/www/delivery/avw.php?zoneid=17&source=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.saurenergy.com&cb=INSERT_RANDOM_NUMBER_HERE&n=a23dad63&ct0=INSERT_ENCODED_CLICKURL_HERE' border='0' alt='Advertisment' /></a> The project, which is worth $2 billion, will see the development of 180-turbine Herries Range Wind Farm to be built within the MacIntyre Wind cluster located in the Southern Queensland Renewable Energy Zone. This initiative will take up the region’s total generation capacity to over 2 GW. The Herries Range will be established alongside the 923 MW MacIntyre wind farm and the 100 MW Karara Wind Farm, which is under construction at the same site. The MacIntyre wind farm, owned by the State government, is majorly owned by Acciona. The rest of the 30 per cent stake, however, is held by Ark Energy, a subsidiary of Korea Zinc. At the moment, the Herries Range project is owned completely by Acciona. Currently, there are no off take deals for it. The project in the works will cause the total investment in the Queensland wind cluster to increase to $4 billion. Opening doors to renewable energy goals, jobs Queensland is aiming for 70 per cent renewable energy by 2032 and premiers from the State have shared that this sparked interest in investors. The upcoming project, it is being held, will be an important step in achieving the big goal set by Queensland. At the same time, it will pave the way for the decarbonisation of Queensland’s electricity grid. Once the Herries Range is added to the MacIntyre wind cluster, it will be poised to become the biggest power station in Queensland after Queensland’s biggest coal-fired power station at Tarong near Kingaroy. This station boasts of a capacity of 1400 MW. “At 360 turbines in total, it’ll be the biggest wind farm in the country, by a country mile,” said Queensland treasurer Cameron Dick. He went on to add that this “will generate four times as much power as the next largest wind farm in the country.” In its wake, the project will promise more employment opportunities, shifting hundreds of workers from one large scale project to the next. Once the construction kickstarts, the Herries Range project, will also create 600 additional jobs. “The first two wind farms within the MacIntyre Wind Precincwert e already expected to support 400 construction jobs,” shared Queensland’s Deputy Premier Steven Miles. Australia’s onshore wind ambitions Australia will be home to several mega wind projects. To begin with, an onshore wind farm will come up in New South Wales. Speaking of another large scale wind initiative in Queensland, Adani Australia has switched on its Rugby Run solar farm with 247,000 solar panels here. Australia’s has significantly accelerated efforts in renewable energy, having doubled it over the past decade. In 2020, 24% of Australia’s cumulative electricity generation came from renewable energy, with wind power being one of the primary renewable energy sources with 9 per cent contribution to electricity generation. In October 2022, RE made up a record 68.7 per cent power to Australia’s main grid for a short time. Tags: Herries Range Wind Farm, Renewable Energy, Southern Queensland Renewable Energy Zone, Sunshine State, wind energy
Once the Herries Range is added to the MacIntyre wind cluster, it will be poised to become the biggest power station in Queensland after Queensland’s biggest coal-fired power station at Tarong near Kingaroy. This station boasts of a capacity of 1400 MW. “At 360 turbines in total, it’ll be the biggest wind farm in the country, by a country mile,” said Queensland treasurer Cameron Dick. He went on to add that this “will generate four times as much power as the next largest wind farm in the country.” In its wake, the project will promise more employment opportunities, shifting hundreds of workers from one large scale project to the next. Once the construction kickstarts, the Herries Range project, will also create 600 additional jobs. “The first two wind farms within the MacIntyre Wind Precincwert e already expected to support 400 construction jobs,” shared Queensland’s Deputy Premier Steven Miles. Australia’s onshore wind ambitions Australia will be home to several mega wind projects. To begin with, an onshore wind farm will come up in New South Wales. Speaking of another large scale wind initiative in Queensland, Adani Australia has switched on its Rugby Run solar farm with 247,000 solar panels here. Australia’s has significantly accelerated efforts in renewable energy, having doubled it over the past decade. In 2020, 24% of Australia’s cumulative electricity generation came from renewable energy, with wind power being one of the primary renewable energy sources with 9 per cent contribution to electricity generation.
