A TOWERING turbine has been erected at the Kennedy Energy Park in a significant step for the renewable energy project.
The turbine stands at an impressive 132 metres high, and has a 136 metre rotor, with each blade measuring 67 metres.
A 750-ton lattice-boom mobile crane was used to lift the last of the blades into place this week, to create the first of 12 Vestas V136-3.6 MW wind turbines that will be installed on the site.
The 60.2 MW Kennedy Energy Park at Hughenden, is the world’s first utility-scale, on-grid wind, solar and battery energy storage project.
The turbines will deliver increased annual energy production by capturing more wind resources.
“This is a great achievement and significant milestone for Kennedy,” Country Head of Vestas Australia and New Zealand Peter Cowling said.
“We are now one-step closer to completing this revolutionary project, which has the potential to leverage Australia’s abundant renewable energy resources while ensuring a consistent and reliable electricity supply.”
As the blades are put into place, other parts of the energy park, which features 20 MW of solar panels and 2MW of Li ion battery storage, are also well into construction.
The solar PV panels (numbering 55,000) are being installed and significant upgrades to the high voltage substation at Cape River are on-going.
Quanta Solar president Charles Wright said pile installation, pile testing, mechanical assembly of the solar PV panel system and underground cabling trenching was continuing within the PV park.
“The structural steel and plant and equipment erection is nearing completion in the 132/66kV switchyards at both Cape River, which is located about 140km from the energy park and Jardine Creek.
“Quanta Solar is also currently installing other major electrical equipment, including batteries and overhead power lines which interconnect the wind turbines to the grid.”
Windlab CEO Roger Price said he was pleased another major milestone had been reached in the project.
“With this project, we are generating significant local employment and leading the nation in the deployment of innovative and reliable renewable energy, capable of closely matching electricity network demand,” Mr Price said.
The project is developed by Canberra-based Windlab Limited and Japan’s Eurus Energy Holdings Corporation. A consortium between Vestas and Quanta Solar is delivering the engineering, procurement and construction of the project.
