The site is on land between the Henty Highway and the Blue Ribbon Road to the east of the crossroads at Murra Warra. When completed it will be one of the largest wind farms in the southern hemisphere, with 116 state-of-the-art wind turbines providing up to 420 MW of generation capacity. The wind farm, owned by RES and Macquarie Capital, will generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of up to 248,000 households in Victoria, displacing over 1.3 million tonnes of greenhouse gases per year.
The $650 million project will take approximately two years to complete. A consortium of large energy users, led by Telstra, has announced it has entered into long-term power purchase agreements covering the 226 MW first stage of the wind farm. The members of the consortium include ANZ, Coca-Cola Amatil, Telstra and the University of Melbourne.
“This is our second big project in Victoria and when it is constructed RES will have brought over $1 billion in new renewable energy projects to the State” said RES Australia Chief Operating Officer Matt Rebbeck. “RES operates in 10 countries and is the world’s largest independent renewable energy company. We are very proud of Murra Warra which is a fantastic project with a high level of community support. Telstra has co-ordinated another landmark deal, which underwrites the first stage of this wind farm, which will bring investment and create a real jobs boost for regional Victoria, and reduce Australia’s emissions”
Tim Bishop, Head of Macquarie Capital, added that Macquarie has a substantial and long-standing commitment to renewable energy internationally including on and offshore wind projects in Asia-Pacific, Europe and the Americas and that, increasingly, large users of energy are contracting directly with renewable energy producers. Macquarie sees this direct engagement as a meaningful contributor to the world’s transition to a lower carbon economy.
The company is currently two thirds of the way through construction of the 75-turbine Ararat wind farm, a 240 MW project that is expected to produce enough electricity for around 120,000 homes, representing 6 percent of the households in Victoria.
Image: Photomontage of Murra Warra Wind Farm
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