State-owned electric utility Hydro Tasmania has agreed in principle to buy power generated from the proposed 112MW Granville Harbour Wind Farm to be built in the Australian state of Tasmania.
The wind farm is being developed by Westcoast Wind at a cost of A$280m ($213m).
As per the agreement, Hydro Tasmania would purchase around 360GWh of energy and renewable energy certificates per year from the wind farm. The power generated from it would be connected to the grid at Reece Power Station, stated Hydro Tasmania.
According to the Tasmanian government, the Granville Harbour Wind Farm has already secured all the necessary development approvals.
It will come up at the Granville Harbour on the west coast of the state. The new wind farm is set to be equipped with 33 turbines and will generate enough electricity for over 40,000 Tasmanian homes.
About 200 construction roles and 10 on-going jobs are expected to be created in connection with the Granville Harbour Wind Farm.
Tasmania Energy Minister Matthew Groom said: “This is important additional generation that can reinforce Tasmania’s energy security and also help deliver more clean energy into the national market.
“The Hodgman Liberal Government is seizing every opportunity to maximise our contribution to Australia’s renewable energy demands while also securing renewable energy development jobs, including in regional Tasmania.”
Earlier in the month, Hydro Tasmania had inked a similar agreement with an A$300m ($228.2m) wind farm at Cattle Hill in the Central Highlands which features 49 turbines.
Put together, the Cattle Hill wind farm and the Granville Harbour Wind Farm will generate over 840,000MWh of clean energy each year.
Hydro Tasmania CEO Steve Davy said: “The proposed Granville Harbour and Cattle Hill wind farms contribute towards plans to make Tasmania the battery of the nation.
“We continue to work on our studies into additional hydropower and pumped storage capacity.”