Nexif Energy has commenced construction of its 212MW Lincoln Gap wind farm in South Australia.
To be built with an investment of $450m, Lincoln Gap will come up 15km west of Port Augusta and is expected to begin operations in October 2018.
The wind farm will be capable of generating 800,000MWh/year of power which would be enough to meet the electricity consumption for about 155,000 homes in South Australia. It will also offset CO2 emissions of more than 600,000 tonnes annually.
The project, which had reached financial close in November 2017, will feature 59 wind turbines from Senvion, each of 3.6MW capacity.
It will be constructed by an average construction workforce of 110-130 people on farmland on a raised plateau adjacent to the Eyre Highway.
Lincoln Gap will be linked to a 275kV grid line operated by ElectraNet, which, in turn will feed the wind power into the South Australian electricity grid.
The wind farm is supported by offtake agreement from ERM Power signed by it with Nexif Energy in April 2017.
Nexif Energy Australia’s Zeki Akbas said: “Nexif Energy are committed to building something which will make a significant contribution to the renewable energy target while helping grid stability and reliability in South Australia and we anticipate the wind farm will operate for 25+ years, providing green, clean energy for the state.
“Nexif Energy has worked meticulously to develop a highly productive, innovative and practical renewable power model which will bring about real and sustainable benefits to South Australian communities.”
Lincoln Gap will also include the installation of a 10MW utility-scale battery system. According to Nexif Energy, the battery system will have potential expansion capability to adopt battery technology advancements.
Apart from Lincoln Gap, Nexif Energy is developing a 90MW wind farm in the Waterloo Ranges in New South Wales with an investment of around $150m.