Global renewable energy company ACCIONA has announced will build a $1.96 million wind farm in partnership with the Queensland government’s clean energy generator CleanCo.
The proposed MacIntyre complex project, due to begin construction in mid-2021, will be located about 50 km south-west of Warwick and feature up to 180 turbines to generate 1,026 megawatts of clean electricity.
The 36,000-hectare site was selected for its exposure to consistent winds across land that has been used mostly for sheep farming, about 200km south-west of Brisbane.
Current farming activities will continue during the construction and operation phases of the wind farm.
About 64km of transmission lines will connect the wind complex to the grid, which is expected to be in full operation by 2024.
The MacIntyre complex, which will supply CleanCo with 400 megawatts of power for ten years through a power purchase agreement, will become one of the world’s largest onshore wind farms.
It will be powered by German manufacturer Nordex Group’s latest Delta4000 turbines, each with a capacity of 5.7 megawatts.
The windfarm will generate clean energy for up to 700,000 homes and eliminate three million tons of CO2 emissions a year.
ACCIONA will develop and own 926 megawatts, and a further 100 megawatts will be built and owned by CleanCo.
Spanish company ACCIONA has developed wind farms in Australia since 2002, where it has powered more than 285,000 homes across Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia.