The 285MW Lotus Creek Wind Farm is an onshore wind farm being developed in Central Queensland in Australia.
CS Energy, an energy company owned by the Queensland Government, owns the wind farm. The development of Lotus Creek is estimated to entail an investment of around $1.3bn ($860m).
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The Queensland Government agreed to provide A$924m ($608m) for the project. This includes A$624.3m from the Renewable Energy and Hydrogen Jobs Fund and A$300m from coal royalties announced in the 2023-24 budget.
Early works on the project began in October 2024, with major construction scheduled to begin in 2025.
The wind farm will be commissioned in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2026. This will be followed by the start of operations in 2027.
Once complete, the Lotus Creek Wind Farm will power approximately 150,000 homes in Queensland per year on average and reduce up to 0.88 million tonnes of equivalent carbon dioxide emissions per year.
The development of the wind farm will help Queensland Government to achieve its net-zero emissions target by 2050 and 70% renewable energy target by 2032.
Lotus Creek Wind Farm Location
The Lotus Creek Wind Farm is being constructed near Lotus Creek in Central Queensland within the Central Queensland Renewable Energy Zone.
The wind farm site is on Barada Barna Country and Barada Kabalbara Yetimarala Country between Mackay and Rockhampton, around 20km west of St Lawrence.
Background
Initially, the wind farm was proposed by Australian renewable energy company Ark Energy (previously Epuron).
The site was identified in 2018. After the initial turbine layout design was rejected, Ark redesigned the plan and submitted it to the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (DAWE).
Detailed environmental studies were completed in 2021. Visual, noise and ecological impact of wind turbines were also assessed in the same year.
The Queensland Government granted development consent for the project in May 2022.
In October 2022, the wind farm received approval from the Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW).
Lotus Creek was acquired by a Danish investment firm Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) from Ark in December 2022.
Under CIP, the Lotus Creek Project received secondary consent approval in early 2023.
In August 2024, CS Energy purchased the project from CIP.
Lotus Creek Wind Farm Details
The Lotus Creek Wind Farm will consist of 46 6.2MW capacity wind turbines.
Each wind turbine will have a maximum blade tip height of 230m and a hub height of 149m.
The turbines will be connected to the new 275/33kV substation. The substation will then transmit the renewable power generated by the project to the Powerlink 275kV network.
Once operational, the wind farm will generate approximately 850,000 megawatt hours (MWh) of renewable electricity per year.
During the construction period, the project will create up to 400 new jobs. Additionally, 10-15 operational jobs will be generated in the local area of Central Queensland.
More than 4,500 hectares of land in the region will be improved and protected in perpetuity to offset environmental impacts of the development.
The wind farm is expected to have a life span of 25-30 years.
Lotus Creek Wind Farm Contractors
The Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) contract for the Lotus Creek Wind Farm was awarded to a consortium of wind turbine manufacturer Vestas and sustainable renewable infrastructure provider Zenviron.
As agreed, Zenviron will deliver the balance of plant civil and electrical works including an accommodation camp for the workers, access tracks, bridges, concrete batching, and approximately 18km of public road upgrades.
The scope of the contract also includes the delivery of earthworks, turbine foundations, substation, MV cable reticulation, and internal overhead transmission line.
In August 2024, Vestas announced receiving an order to deliver 46 V162-6.2 MW wind turbines of its EnVentus platform.
Vestas also signed a long-term Active Output Management (AOM) 5000 service agreement for the wind farm.
NGH, an environmental, planning and advisory consultant, was engaged by Ark to provide planning, approvals, biodiversity, and heritage services for the wind farm.
A Chicago-based law firm Baker Mckenzie assisted CS in acquiring the project from CIP.
In November 2022, HWL Ebsworth Lawyers, a legal service provider, advised Ark on the sale of the project.
