The biggest Chinese Wind turbine supplier, Goldwind, has announced the construction of the White Rock Wind Farm, situated in Northern Sydney. This is said to be the second largest in Australia, and the first wind farm project in northern Sydney. Goldwind landed on a deal with Transgrid to construct 119 wind turbines, with 70-turbine to be built in the first phase of the project. This will be located between Glenn Innes and Inverell in the middle of the electorate of Joyce Barnaby, the Agricultural Minister.
This announcement was made few weeks after GE announced the 240 MW Ararat Wind Farm deal. Goldwind is has no power purchase agreement or any other funding elsewhere, but is planning to get PPA when the proposed project starts. The same scheme was used by Goldwind to implement successfully the Gullen Range and Mortons Lane Wind Farm projects.
Managing Director of Goldwind Australia, Mr. John Titchen, stated empathically that the plan became successful after the passage of the renewable energy target by the Government. “The removal of the 2 yearly review and the return to bipartisan RET support is welcome” Titchen indicated. “White Rock Wind Farm is planned to be operating by mid-2017 at a time when new supply is needed due to increased demand under the renewable energy target. “
In October last year, Spanish group Epuron sold the White Rock Wind project to Goldwind, at the time when the renewable energy target was uncertain. Barnaby Joyce once refuted the idea of wind farm, stressing that wind farms as well as renewable energy were very expensive, and cannot replace coal, nuclear energy, gas and/or hydro, “Wind farms are one of those things that everybody likes as long as it’s not in their backyard”, Joyce said.
“Goldwind is reported to use a 2.4 megawatt highly endowed technology- permanent magnet, direct drive wind turbines with a 121meters rotor diameter at the White Rock wind farm. The wind farm is to be constructed on grazing country with eight landowners hosting turbines.”
Source:
RenewEconomy Giles P., July 7, 2015. Goldwind to build 175MW wind farm, first big project north of Sydney Accessed July 7, 2015