The wind farm will be built with an investment of $450m in western New South Wales in the Barrier Ranges, near Silverton. It is the first greenfield project to be developed under the Powering Australian Renewables Fund (PARF), a fund formed by AGL, QIC and Future Fund.
PARF has been formed to develop large-scale renewable energy projects with a combined capacity of nearly 1,000MW.
AGL managing director and CEO Andy Vesey said: “We look forward to working with GE and Catcon in developing the Silverton Wind Farm on behalf of PARF. The fund was established to kick start growth in renewable generation in Australia, and Silverton is proof of this.
“However as we transition to a low carbon economy we also have to consider further policy changes to facilitate this pathway.”
Touted to be the sixth largest wind farm in the country, the Silverton Wind Farm will feature 58 3.4MW wind turbines from GE. The turbines will have rotors which would span 130 metres.
The wind farm is expected to be fully operational by mid-2018.
GE Australia & New Zealand CEO Geoff Culbert said: “Not only is this project innovative in its technology, but it’s also a clear demonstration of how an innovative financing structure can be used to unlock investment in large-scale renewable energy projects.”
Once fully operational, the wind farm is expected to have an annual production capacity of around 780,000 MWh of clean energy that can potentially power over 137,000 average Australian households.
Besides, the wind farm is expected to bring down CO2 emissions each year by 655,000 tonnes in the country.
The Silverton Wind Farm project could create 150 jobs during the peak stage of its construction.
