Construction of the $360 million Mount Emerald Wind Farm near Walkamin is on track to start before the end of the year after Ergon Energy announced today it had entered into an agreement to purchase all of the electricity generated by the wind farm through to the end of 2030.
The wind farm, a joint development between Ratch-Australia (Ratch) and Port Bajool, was chosen ahead of six other renewable energy projects shortlisted by Ergon in November last year as part of their green energy tender process.
Power producer Ratch owns a number of wind farms around Australia including the Windy Hill wind farm near Ravenshoe, while Port Bajool has developed property in the region for more than 20 years. The project received approval from both the Queensland and Australian governments last year after more than four years of on-site research and community consultation.
Ratch Business Development Manager, Anthony Yeates, said the company would be working hard with its contractors, regional authorities and services to start construction before the end of the year.
“This is a major milestone for the project as the power purchase agreement provides the revenue stream which underpins the project,” Mr Yeates said.
“We are now in a position to finalise our construction and contracting arrangements and to firm up the construction timetable, and expect to share this information with all relevant stakeholders as soon as possible. We expect pre-construction activities will take about six months so if all goes to plan we will break ground before the new year.
“Our assessment shows that $100 to 150 million will be spent in Australia during construction with much of this investment to be spent locally,” he said.
Mr Yeates confirmed the project would provide many opportunities for local workers and suppliers. He said employment during the construction phase was expected to peak above 150 while 15 permanent jobs would be created to operate the wind farm.
Mount Emerald includes up to 53 turbines to potentially generate enough electricity to power 75,000 homes each year.
Amid lagging economic indicators across the State, Advance Cairns chairman Mr Trent Twomey said Ergon’s announcement was “good news and good timing” for Cairns and the surrounding region.
“The multi-million Mount Emerald Wind Farm will deliver significant benefits for local economies, and support the sustainable development of our communities in the tropical north,” Mr Twomey said.
“Plus significant capital investment initiatives like this send a message to global investors that the region is open for business.”
The Mount Emerald Wind Farm will boost Queensland’s renewable energy credentials significantly. Of the 3,500MW of wind generation capacity currently in the country, Queensland only supplies around 12MW from wind farms in Ravenshoe and Thursday Island.
