Winchelsea wind farm project powers ahead

A WIND farm under construction near Winchelsea is powering ahead, with two to three turbines being completed each week.

The $258 million Mount Gellibrand Wind Farm will have 44 turbines and is expected to begin commercial operations by mid-year.

When Victorian Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio visited the Acciona-owned project earlier this month, four turbines were already complete with blades and 13 were complete to the nacelle.

After each tower is built, a separate crew adds the final 26-metre top section and the nacelle, which houses the gear box, drive train and generator.

The final steps involve attaching the hub to the nacelle, and then the three blades – each 62 metres long – to the hub.

Once in service, the wind farm will produce about 429 gigawatt-hours (GWh) a year, equivalent to the electricity consumption of about 60,000 homes and avoiding the emission of some 412,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere from coal-fired power stations.

The Mount Gellibrand Wind Farm is 17 kilometres west of Winchelsea and is being constructed around the southern and western sides of Mt Gellibrand itself.

“We were delighted to host Minister D’Ambrosio today,” Acciona Energy Australia managing director Brett Wickham said.

“She is a strong advocate for the renewables sector, and it’s great to see that Victoria is powering ahead with its transition to cleaner forms of energy.”

Ms D’Ambrosio was briefed on the progress of the project and met with staff and subcontractors during her visit.

“We’re supporting the renewables sector to create local jobs and deliver affordable clean energy,” she said.

“We’ve backed the Mt Gellibrand Wind Farm every step of the way – because we’re making Victoria the national leader in renewable energy to drive down energy prices, create jobs and reduce emissions.”