Commercial operations at the Collector Wind Farm are scheduled to start in the second half of 2020.
Image: The project is expected to feature 54 Vestas V117-4.2MW turbines at a hub height of 91.5m Photo: Courtesy of Vestas.
Wind turbines manufacturer Vestas has secured an engineering, procurement and construction contract for the 227MW Collector Wind farm, to be developed by RATCH-Australia.
The Collector Wind farm project is located in the New South Wales Southern Tablelands and features challenging site restrictions on tip- and hub-height.
The project is expected to feature 54 Vestas V117-4.2MW turbines at a hub height of 91.5m, to maximise the energy production under regulatory constraints.
Vestas to provide 4MW platform turbines for the project
Under the contract, Vestas would provide its 4MW platform turbines and along with a long-term, full scope service agreement and an energy-based availability guarantee.
Vestas said that it has designed the site-specific solution to take advantage of the annual energy production and provide RATCH-Australia with long-term business case certainty for the project.
RATCH-Australia business development executive general manager Anthony Yeates said: “Vestas has developed a competitive solution that meets site specific requirements. Following the successful completion of our 180 MW Mount Emerald Wind farm in North Queensland, we are extremely pleased to be continuing our relationship with Vestas. They continue to be one of our most trusted partners”.
The Australian government-owned Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) has announced an injection of £99m into the Collector Wind Farm as a sole debt financier.
CEFC is expected to finance the project on a merchant basis, assuming market risk on the revenue of the project than providing funding conditional on securing long-term Power-Purchase Agreements.
Vestas will provide an up to 25-year Active Output Management 5000 (AOM 5000) service agreement.
Vestas Asia-Pacific president Clive Turton said: “The Collector Wind Farm demonstrates the increasing attractiveness of wind energy as a cost-effective provider of electricity and as an attractive and bankable investment.
“Vestas is pleased to bring our leading technology, experience and knowledge to provide a customised energy solution for Collector, and to make it the latest in a series of CEFC-funded renewable energy projects that are supporting Australia’s transition to a low-carbon energy system.”