News 2020 – Goldwind Australia

10 December 2020

Goldwind Australia today announced a major project milestone with the completion of installation of all 149 wind turbines at Stockyard Hill Wind Farm, located 35 kilometres west of Ballarat in Victoria.

Goldwind Australia’s Managing Director, Mr John Titchen said this was a significant event for the 530 MW project that once operational, will power more than 425,000 Victorian homes.

“Completing the installation of wind turbines at Stockyard Hill Wind Farm marks an important milestone achieved,” said Mr Titchen.

The Stockyard Hill Farm is a joint project between Goldwind Australia and Nebras Power, an international power investment company based in Qatar. Since construction commenced on the project in 2018, 149 wind turbines were installed, approximately 110 kilometres of access track was constructed, about 130 kilometres of underground cabling was laid, a 75 kilometre 132 kV multi-duplex powerline was installed, three on-site substations were completed, and a major terminal station near Lismore was built.

“We are excited to be witnessing the realization of our hard work and planning. Stockyard Hill is a monumental project that will be instrumental in providing sustainable energy to residences throughout the region,” said Khalid M. Jolo, CEO of Nebras Power.

Goldwind along with Nebras Power extended their gratitude to all of those involved in bringing the Stockyard Hill Wind Farm to this stage, including host landowners, local landowners, neighbours and community partners, as well as the contractors who worked on the project, many of whom are local Victorians.

Stockyard Hill Wind Farm currently employs a team of maintenance staff which is expected to grow to 25 permanent maintenance staff once the wind farm is operational.

Final commissioning and project completion activities will continue into early 2021.

4 December 2020

Goldwind Australia today announced the completion of installation of all 104 wind turbines at Moorabool Wind Farm, located approximately 25 kilometres south-east of Ballarat in Victoria.

Goldwind Australia’s Senior Project Manager, Dusan Hadzi-Nikolov said this was a significant milestone for the project that saw a high level of community involvement and local benefits.

“Moorabool Wind Farm saw up to 300 local and regional people employed during the construction phase and will see up to 20 permanent full-time maintenance roles once operational.”

“We are very pleased to continue partnering with the local community in delivering benefits over the operational life of the wind farm. Regular community fund grants are an example of this support, with the recent inaugural community fund grant seeing $125,000 distributed to 11 worthy local community groups,” said Mr Hadzi-Nikolov.

When fully operational, Moorabool Wind Farm will produce up to 312 MW of electricity, enough to power approximately 228,000 Victorian homes with emission free energy.

Commissioning and project completion activities are now underway on Moorabool Wind Farm.

9 November 2020

Goldwind Australia and TransGrid have signed a commercial agreement for the connection and construction of connection assets for Coppabella Wind Farm located in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, approximately 30 kilometres west of Yass.

Tom Nielsen, the Development Manager for Coppabella Wind Farm said the agreement was a significant step in finalising the development of the wind farm.

“We are pleased to once again work with our long-term partner TransGrid to construct the connection assets and to operate and maintain the connection for Coppabella Wind Farm.”

“TransGrid has a strong track record with Goldwind, having successfully delivered connection works on Gullen Range Wind Farm, Gullen Solar Farm, White Rock Wind Farm and White Rock Solar Farm,” said Mr Nielsen.

The project is expected to employ approximately 150 staff during the construction phase, and up to 15 permanent ongoing maintenance employees once operational. Coppabella Wind Farm is approved for up to 75 wind turbines that will produce approximately 900GWh per year of renewable energy to power more than 150,000 New South Wales homes.

10 September 2020

Goldwind Australia today announced the inaugural Moorabool North Community Fund grant distribution of $125,000 to 11 local community groups.

Dean Tonkin, the Site Manager for Moorabool Wind Farm said that it was pleasing to see the first round of the bi-annual community grants distributed to some worthy recipients.

“The selection panel, made up of members of the local Community Reference Group (CRG), reviewed more than 24 worthy applications from community groups. After considered and thoughtful debate, the selection panel have decided to allocate $125,000 to 11 community groups to fully or partially fund their local community initiatives.”

Moorabool Wind Farm CRG Chairperson Dave O’Hanlon was pleased to see the grants support and benefit a range of groups in the community.

“As the Chair of the CRG, I am very excited to see support being provided to so many groups across the wider community. This was the first round of grants provided under the Moorabool North Community Fund, and there were many great projects submitted. The CRG look forward to being involved with the fund and seeing more successful projects throughout the community, for many years to come.”

The 11 local community groups who received full or partial funding for their projects are:

Meredith Community Centre,
Ballan Cricket Club,
Gordon Primary School,
Advance Meredith Association INC,
Ballan District Vintage Machinery and Vehicle Club,
Gordon Public Park & Recreation Reserve Incorporated,
Ballan Bowling Club,
Ballan District Health and Care,
Ballan RSL sub-branch,
Gordon Football & Netball Club, and
Ballan Golf Club Incorporated.

Gordon Primary School received full funding to upgrade their waste and recycling program, and Carly Middleton from the School was appreciative of the grant funding provided.

“This is a wonderful piece of news and a huge help for us as a school in achieving our goals. I appreciate the wonderful opportunity that Moorabool Wind Farm has provided through their community grants initiative.”

Goldwind would like to thank the Community Reference Group Assessment Panel for their help in reviewing the applications and allocating funding for the first round of the Moorabool North Community Fund grant.

The first round of bi-annual funding grants for Moorabool South Community Fund will be launched early next year. Further information will be provided on the project website (www.mooraboolwindfarm.com/) and advertised locally.

25 August 2020

Stanwell Corporation and the Queensland Government today announced a 348 MW Power Purchase Agreement for the 450MW first stage of the Clarke Creek Wind Farm.

Clarke Creek Wind Farm will be located 150 kilometres north west of Rockhampton and 150 kilometres south of Mackay in the Isaac and Livingstone Shire council areas.

“This Power Purchase Agreement is a clear demonstration of Stanwell Corporation and the Queensland Government’s commitment to the transition to a lower emission electricity sector. Stanwell is an excellent partner for the project and it has been a pleasure to work with the professional Stanwell team to progress this project which will bring substantial renewable energy investment and employment in regional Queensland. The Power Purchase Agreement is very important to enable engagement with investors and banks to progress to the construction phase which is targeted to commence in mid-2021.” said John Titchen, Managing Director of Goldwind Australia.

The 450MW project has been planned based on using 101 Goldwind wind turbines, with a 348MW section of the project supplying Stanwell under the Power Purchase Agreement.

Lacour Energy and Goldwind who have together developed the project launched the Local Business Participation Program for the project in December 2018. This Program is a key initiative to identify capability in the local community and maximise opportunities for local subcontractors and suppliers to participate in the project. The Industry Capability Network (ICN) gateway has been utilised to start engagement with local businesses with over 700 registrations to date. About 350 people are expected to be employed during construction.

“The PPA with Stanwell Corporation will allow the final steps in the development phase of the Clarke Creek Wind Farm to be completed so that construction can start in 2021. The project represents an excellent combination of strong, predominantly night-time wind to complement Queensland solar production. The project’s location is on the backbone of Powerlink’s high voltage transmission network and the project scale will make a large contribution to Queensland’s renewable energy target. Lacour Energy looks forward to continuing to work with all local stakeholders as we move to prepare for construction of the first-stage of the project.” said Mark Rayner, Director of Lacour Energy.

An information centre has been set up in Marlborough and a project office in Rockhampton to support the project with local community and business engagement activities. The COVID-19 situation has constrained use of the facilities in recent months.

The first stage of the project once built will power the equivalent of approximately 320,000 Queensland homes.

About Clarke Creek Wind and Solar Farm
The Clarke Creek Wind and Solar Farm project is located 150 km north west of Rockhampton and 150km south of Mackay in the Isaac Shire and Livingstone Shire areas. The project has received necessary State
and Federal Government approvals to develop:

– up to 195 wind turbines with a power output over 800 MW,
– between 200 MW and 400 MW of solar power, and
– battery energy storage.

The first stage of the project is planned to include 101 Goldwind wind turbines totalling 450MW.

For more on the project, go to www.clarkecreekwindandsolar.com.au

19 August 2020

The final over-dimensional load – a tower section from Keppel Price Engineering has arrived at Stockyard Hill Wind Farm.

Stockyard Hill Wind Farm Investment Delivery Manager, Mr Justin Howes, said the milestone was significant and marked the end of all over-dimensional component deliveries.

“The final over-dimensional delivery was a tower component from Keppel Price Engineering based in south-western Victoria who locally manufactured and delivered 140 tower sections for Stockyard Hill Wind Farm.”

“Over the past two years, the project team has managed more than 1,600 over-dimensional wind turbine component deliveries including 140 tower sections from Keppel Price Engineering and 17 overseas shipments. Each shipment consisted of more than 50,000 cubic meters of cargo that was delivered safely to site,” said Mr Howes.

Keppel Prince Engineering Executive Director, Mr Steve Garner said he was pleased to partner with Goldwind in delivering one of the largest wind farms in Australia.

“This is a significant project for Victoria, and it was pleasing to have our Victorian company support the project with local jobs and industry expertise that in turn supports our local communities.”

“It was a proud moment to see the final tower section for Stockyard Hill Wind Farm leave our engineering workshop that signalled the completion of over 85,000 labour hours worked by more than 150 of our Victorian employees,” said Mr Garner.

Construction and commissioning work is continuing on Stockyard Hill Wind Farm with more than 75% of the 149 wind turbines now installed.

18 August 2020

Goldwind Australia Pty Ltd has been awarded a $10 million grant for a hybrid dispatchable renewable energy project under the NSW Government’s Emerging Energy Program. The Emerging Energy Program supports the development of innovative large-scale electricity generation and storage projects which enhance electricity system reliability and security in NSW. The program will help the NSW Government achieve its target of net zero emissions by 2050.

Subject to approvals, Goldwind plans to integrate six 12MW gas reciprocating engines combined with a 12 MW / 4 MWh battery into an existing renewable energy farm. A new pipeline is proposed to transport the gas. The gas engine and battery storage project is planned to have a total capacity of 84MW.

John Titchen, Goldwind Australia’s Managing Director said the proposed project would become the first integrated gas, battery, and renewable precinct in Australia.

“Goldwind Australia is very pleased to be awarded funding for the proposed hybrid dispatchable renewable energy project under the NSW Government’s Emerging Energy program. The project is in response to the
growing demand for low emission dispatchable generation sources.”

Minister for Energy Matt Kean said firmed renewables are the most economic form of reliable generation and will drive the biggest change in our electricity system’s history.

“We want NSW households and businesses to have some of the cheapest and cleanest electricity in the world and we’re firming low-cost, large-scale renewables with new technologies such as gas-battery hybrids to do that.”

Hybrid battery and gas plants can operate with greater flexibility and faster start-up speeds than conventional gas generation, as the integrated batteries eliminate the gap in energy supply during engine startup.

Dispatchable generation refers to sources of electricity that can quickly respond to changes in demand and dispatched at the request of market operators according to market needs. Australia’s energy market is in transition, with a focus on emissions reduction through the replacement of existing baseload with a combination of renewable and dispatchable generation. Batteries, pumped hydro, and gas generators are examples of dispatchable technologies which will be required to enable the ongoing uptake of renewables through firming during times of low wind and solar radiation.

Goldwind recognises that dispatchable projects can lead to greater penetration of renewables and the transition to net zero emissions, whilst enhancing energy security. The project may benefit from favourable gas prices which are currently at a four-year low with AEMO predicting them to reduce further. Goldwind is also exploring opportunities to develop battery and pumped hydro projects in the National Electricity Market.

Goldwind has also explored the use of dual fuel reciprocating engines, capable of operating on alternative fuel sources, including biofuels, and will seek to include this capability in the project. Goldwind is also exploring the possibility of including hydrogen production and hydrogen fuel substitution in the project, with a view to operating the plant on the lowest possible emissions basis.

Goldwind Australia today announced it has signed a Turbine Supply and Installation agreement with juwi and a 10-year warranty Operations and Maintenance agreement with Contract Power Australia (Contract Power) for the wind turbine component of Contract Power’s hybrid generation solution for the town of Esperance in Western Australia. Contract Power Australia will be selling the output from their hybrid generation system to Horizon Power under a long term Power Purchase Agreement.

The hybrid renewable energy solution will include two Goldwind GW 155/4.5 MW wind turbines, a 4 MW solar farm, a lithium-ion battery and gas generators. Renewable generation is expected to meet about half of Esperance’s annual electricity demand.

The Managing Director of Goldwind Australia, John Titchen said, “We are very pleased to partner with Contract Power and juwi to deliver the wind farm component of the Esperance hybrid project, the second renewable energy microgrid project that Goldwind is contributing to in Western Australia.”

“The Esperance hybrid renewable energy project represents a great example of how to deliver competitive, low-emission electricity for our communities in Australia,” said Mr Titchen.

16 July 2020

Goldwind Australia today announced that the first turbine at Moorabool Wind Farm, located approximately 25 kilometres south-east of Ballarat, is now connected to the Victorian transmission network and generating electricity.

The Managing Director of Goldwind Australia, John Titchen, said this was a significant step in the project which once operational, will produce enough clean, emission-free energy to power approximately 228,000 Victorian
homes.

“As part of the commissioning phase that is currently underway on the northern section of the Moorabool Wind Farm, the project is now connected to the Victorian transmission network and is generating electricity.”

“Construction of the southern section of the Moorabool Wind Farm is continuing to make good progress and is expected to be completed later this year.”

“Once fully operational, the 312 MW 104-wind turbine project will be one of the largest wind farms in Victoria and will directly employ up to 20 permanent full-time maintenance roles,” said Mr Titchen.

For further information, please contact:
Noel Lean, Communications Manager, Goldwind Australia
+61 409 397 456

MEDIA RELEASE

24 June 2020

Goldwind Australia today announced two significant milestones at Moorabool Wind Farm, located approximately 25 kilometres south-east of Ballarat in Victoria.

The 312 MW 104-wind turbine project, one of the largest wind farms in Victoria is separated into two sections, North and South.

Construction has now completed on the 50-turbine Moorabool North section, and the commissioning phase of turbines is scheduled to commence shortly that will see the wind farm connected to the Victorian electricity grid.

The 54-turbine Moorabool South section has also recently seen the first wind turbine erected.

The Managing Director of Goldwind Australia, John Titchen, said these milestones were a significant step towards more reliable, sustainable, and affordable energy for Victorians as well as providing local and regional economic and employment opportunities.

“The completion of construction at Moorabool North and the first turbine erected at Moorabool South marks the next step forward in this important Victorian project.”

“The commencement of wind turbine installations at Moorabool South provides another wave of local and regional economic and employment opportunities including up to 150 jobs during peak construction periods.

“When operational, Moorabool Wind Farm will see the direct employment of up to 20 permanent full-time maintenance roles,” said Mr Titchen.

Once operational, the Moorabool Wind Farm will produce enough clean, emission-free energy to power approximately 203,500 Victorian homes.

Installation of turbines at Moorabool South is scheduled for completion later this year.

For further information, please contact:
Noel Lean, Communications Manager, Goldwind Australia +61 409 397 456