Ararat Wind Farm fully switched on

The Ararat Wind Farm was officially opened today in a special ceremony attended by Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio. The $450 million project, financed by shareholders Partners Group, RES, OPTrust and GE, was the first wind farm development to be signed following restored bipartisan support for the Renewable Energy Target (RET) in June 2015.

Comprising 75 GE wind turbines, each with a capacity of 3.2 MW, it is said to be the third-largest wind farm in both Australia and the Southern Hemisphere. Now operating at full capacity, the 240 MW wind farm will generate enough electricity to power 5% of Victorian homes.

“This project was announced the day after the RET was set at 33,000 GWh,” said Geoff Culbert, CEO and president of GE Australia and NZ. “Two years later, we now have a fully operational 240 MW wind farm powering 120,000 homes. This is what industry can deliver with stable policy.”

The wind farm’s 16-month construction period generated approximately 600 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs, while the operational phase will see 51 FTE jobs to support the operation and maintenance of the wind farm. The wind farm has also set up a community fund to support local causes, which will contribute $2.7 million over the 25-year period towards environmental sustainability initiatives and cultural activities.

The project also benefits from a power purchase agreement with the ACT Government, guaranteeing the purchase of approximately 40% of the energy produced at the site as awarded under the ACT’s Wind Auction announcement in February 2015. By powering around 37,000 Canberra homes, the wind farm will help ensure the ACT is on track to achieve 100% renewable energy by 2020.

The Victorian government has meanwhile announced its support for two new wind farms — Mt Gellibrand and Kiata — and linking new large-scale solar projects to match the electricity usage of Melbourne’s fleet of 410 trams. $25 million is also being invested to deploy up to two projects of 20 MW minimum capacity each of commercially ready energy storage. Together, these projects will provide at least a total of 100 MWh by January 2018.

“We are making Victoria the national leader in renewable energy because we want to drive down energy prices, create jobs and reduce emissions,” said Minister D’Ambrosio.