$1.3 Billion Proposed For South Australia’s Yorke Peninsula Wind Farm

Yorke Peninsula Wind Farm

While Victoria has implemented guidelines that may put the brakes on wind power in the state, South Australia is continuing to attract major wind energy investment interest. Suzlon have announced plans for a $1.3 billion on South Australia’s Yorke Peninsula wind farm, which will be linked by submarine cable to Adelaide.

South Australian Premier Mike Rann announced some details about the proposed Yorke Peninsula Wind Farm on his Twitter profile a few hours ago:    “The Suzlon proposal is to build up to 180 turbines, 20 km south west of Ardrossan. If approved they plan to generate up to 600 megawatts.”

Premier Rann said enough clean electricity would be generated by the wind farm to power more than 200,000 homes each year, avoiding the equivalent of 2.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually.

The Yorke Peninsula wind farm would also provide substantial employment benefits during the construction phase, with 500 jobs being created.

The Premier is particularly proud of South Australia’s track record in embracing wind energy and pointed out the state already has 54% of Australia’s wind power capacity, which is 5 times more per capita than Victoria and 10 times more than New South Wales.

According to Wikipedia, South Australia had thirteen operational wind farms by December 2010, with an installed capacity of 1,018 megawatts (MW). An additional 184 MW of wind farm projects were under construction at the time. South Australia may attract even more wind power investment after the Victorian government recently implemented rules to enforce a minimum two-kilometre distance between large wind turbines and houses, a move the Clean Enegy Council said would see $3 billion in investment lost to Victoria.

According to Suzlon’s web site, the company has so far been awarded contracts in excess of 2 billion dollars to supply over 750MW of clean power capacity in Australia. Suzlon wind turbines are currently in use at the AGL Hallett, Snowtown, Clements Gap, Oaklands Hill, Capital and Woodlawn wind farms.

by Energy Matters

The Author

Darryn Van Hout

I developed an interest in the Australian energy and construction sectors more than a decade ago and have since closely followed the trends, technologies and developments shaping both industries. My involvement in the Australian solar market began in 2008, and over the years I have built strong connections with professionals, businesses and organisations across the construction, solar and renewable energy sectors in Australia and internationally. These connections include solar panel and inverter manufacturers, electrical and construction industry professionals, software developers creating tools to quote, monitor and manage solar power systems, and media organisations that closely follow developments across energy, construction and renewable technologies. Today, I continue to contribute as an industry advocate, author and commentator, sharing practical insights and information to help Australian consumers and businesses better understand solar power, energy technologies, construction-related developments and the changing Australian energy landscape.