The Queensland Government has given the go-ahead to the development of a new $128 million wind farm within the South Burnett Regional Council which will support up to 100 jobs for regional Queensland.
“The Queensland Government is committed to supporting investment in regional Queensland and renewable energy projects.
“It’s a huge jobs boost for the area and will help us achieve our renewable energy target,” Minister for State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning Cameron Dick said.
This new 64MW wind farm is set to be the second one to operate in the area together with the Coopers Gap project.
“As more people call Queensland home, we need to continue to support sustainable ways to provide power to existing and new houses and businesses.
“This project will deliver 16 new turbines and, coupled with the 123 turbines in nearby Coopers Gap, that’s nearly 140 turbines delivering power to the region,” Mr Dick said.
As this new wind farm is added to the State’s numerous renewable projects, it will help further bring down the pressure on electricity prices as well as help bring the State closer to its renewables target of 50 per cent by 2030.
“This project is one part of over $1.6 billion worth of renewable energy investment underway or recently operating in the Darling Downs and South West regions, creating more than 1,000 jobs in construction and 860 megawatts of renewable generation capacity,” Minister for Energy Dr Anthony Lynham said.
This new renewable energy project is developed by Australia Energy Wind Farm and it is going to be built on a 500-hectare land approximately 32 kilometres west of Kingaroy.
In addition to the 16 wind turbines, this project will also deliver associated infrastructure, including a substation and upgrades to roads that lead up to the project site.
“Once constructed, the wind farm is expected to generate enough energy to power the equivalent of around 35,000 homes and will reduce carbon dioxide output by an estimated 150,000 tonnes each year.
“Wind farm technology has significantly advanced during recent years and the 16 turbines on site will each produce between 4-5.5 megawatts of energy,” an Australia Energy Wind Farm spokesperson said.
Construction on this new wind farm is anticipated to commence as early as March next year.
Want to stay up to date with the latest industry news and project updates? Subscribe to Felix Project News today.
Source: Queensland Government; Renew Economy; Industry Queensland; Australia Energy Wind Farm