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New Energy World
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Approval of second phase of Australian wind farm set to make it largest in global south
26/6/2024
Financial close has been reached on the second phase of a Victoria wind farm expected to become the largest in global south, while the country’s government launches a solar power innovation scheme.
The second 577 MW stage of the Golden Plains Wind Farm in Victoria, Australia, has reached financial close. Meanwhile, a quarter of the 765 MW Stage 1’s turbines have been erected and civil balance of plant works are nearing completion.
The A$4bn ($2.7bn) project, said to be the largest in the southern hemisphere, is scheduled to be completed in mid-2027, at which point it is expected to provide 9% of Victoria’s electricity. Before then, Stage 1, also known as Golden Plains Wind Farm – East, will first produce energy in early 2025.
Stage 1 will have 122 V162-6.2 MW Vestas turbines; Stage 2 will feature an additional 93. TagEnergy has signed a new engineering, procurement and construction contract from Vestas.
Upon completion of first and second stage, Vestas will also deliver a 30-year service and maintenance agreement. It called the farm its largest-ever onshore wind farm.
Co-owner of the Golden Plains Wind Farm – East facility (with Ingka Group), TagEnergy credited the decision to start Stage 2 construction on the ‘supportive policy environment’ created by the Australian government’s Capacity Investment Scheme (CIS).
‘Commencing construction will maximise project delivery certainty and strengthen the competitiveness of our bid in the upcoming CIS auction,’ notes TagEnergy Managing Partner – Australia, Andrew Riggs.
In February, digital infrastructure company Equinix agreed to take 20% of the energy generated by Stage 1. That follows a 2023 deal with Snowy Hydro to purchase 40%.
In other Australian news, its renewables agency ARENA has launched an eight-week, A$100mn (S66.8mn) innovation fund on large-scale solar energy.
It hopes to stimulate greater innovation and collaboration in the solar sector, particularly in installation, operations and maintenance – enabling ARENA to realise its ultra low-cost solar (ULCS) vision. Specifically, it is looking to reduce the installed cost of a solar project to just 30 cents/Watt and reach a levelised cost of electricity below A$20/MWh by 2030.
