$2bn wind farm project in QLD to support 600 construction jobs

One of the world’s largest onshore wind farm developments will soon be built in Queensland following the announcement by ACCIONA Energia that it will expand its MacIntyre Wind Precinct with a new $2 billion wind project. 

The 1,000MW Herries Range Wind Farm is going to be constructed within the MacIntyre Wind Precinct, west of Warwick. This new renewable energy project brings the total value of the precinct to $4 billion and winds up the total amount of clean energy generated by the precinct to 2,000MW – which is enough to power up to 1.4 million homes in Queensland. 

“Our Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan is all about bringing more cheaper, cleaner energy into the system, while building the Queensland economy and that’s exactly that this deal does. 

“ACCIONA Energia are one of the world’s leading developers of renewable energy projects and this additional $2 billion commitment is a strong endorsement that Queensland is a renewable energy superpower,” Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said. 

The Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan – which is valued at $62 billion – will help open opportunities for investment as well as economic growth for the State and the creation of more good jobs. 

The Premier added: “This deal also demonstrates that our bold vision to deliver an energy system that is made up of 70 per cent renewable energy by 2032, has boosted investor interest. 

“And while industry partnerships like this will be critical to bring more cleaner, cheaper energy into the system, we will importantly still maintain majority public ownership of the Queensland energy system, meaning we will control our energy transformation.” 

The MacIntyre Wind Precinct – comprised of both the MacIntyre and Herries Range wind farms – is located within the Southern Queensland Renewable Energy Zone (QREZ), about 50 kilometres west of Warwick, in the Darling Downs region. The precinct is also home to CleanCo’s proposed Karara Wind Farm. 

Herries Range Wind Farm is proposed to have up to 180 turbines, producing renewable energy that can power about 700,000 households a year. 

“Today we’re proud to announce that we have commenced development activities for the Herries Range Wind Farm to add an additional thousand megawatts of renewable energy to Queensland’s energy mix. With this project we expect to dramatically accelerate the decarbonisation of Queensland’s electricity grid. 

“Our goal is to roll from construction of MacIntyre straight into the neighbouring Herries Range. This means that workers can move from one large scale project to the next whilst staying in the same area,” ACCIONA Energia Managing Director in Australia Brett Wickham said. 

In addition, the $2 billion Herries Range Wind Farm project is expected to support up to 600 jobs during its construction phase as well as 10 ongoing positions once it is up and running. This builds on the jobs created through the delivery of the MacIntyre and Karara wind farms, which are also being built within the MacIntyre Wind Precinct. 

“The first two wind farms within the MacIntyre Wind Precinct – ACCIONA Energia’s 162-turbine MacIntyre Wind Farm and publicly owned CleanCo’s proposed 18-turbine Karara Wind Farm – were already expected to support 400 construction jobs. 

“And that’s always been in addition to the 220 workers needed to build Powerlink’s transmission infrastructure that, as part of our new SuperGrid, will deliver the clean energy from MacIntyre Wind Precinct where and when it’s needed,” Deputy Premier Steven Miles said. 

Treasurer Cameron Dick said that the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan underpins and supercharge the State’s strong economy now and into the future. 

“Make no mistake: Queensland is perfectly positioned to capture and maximise the benefits of what truly is the biggest opportunity since the industrial revolution. 

“And with over 50 large-scale renewable energy projects now financially committed, under construction or operational across the State, it’s clear we have the policy settings right for a prosperous future powered by Queensland-made renewable electricity,” the Treasurer said. 

The expansion of the MacIntyre Wind Precinct will mean more Queenslanders will engage in pushing the nation to strive to shield households and businesses “from exposure to volatile and expensive global fossil fuel markets”. 

“This precinct will support ongoing local jobs and local supply chain opportunities with hundreds of millions of dollars in procurement from businesses based in and around towns like Warwick, Inglewood and Toowoomba. 

“Importantly, it also means another big step towards energy independence, edging closer and closer to a point where our exposure to global fossil fuel markets and their inflationary impact on energy prices will be over,” Energy Minister Mick de Brenni said. 

Source: Queensland Government – Media Statements; ACCIONA (1, 2); Renew Economy; Energy Magazine; Power Technology