A windfarm worth almost half-a-billion dollars – the state’s biggest – will be built at Snowtown.
TrustPower has appointed Siemens as its turn-key supplier to create the development using, for the first time in Australia, world-leading gearless-drive turbine technology.
With the Snowtown II project formally reaching financial close, the $439 million project will generate up to 270 megawatts of renewable energy and power about 180,000 South Australian homes.
Siemens chief executive officer Jeff Connolly said his company was happy to have the opportunity to deliver leading edge direct drive technology to TrustPower.
“Our responsibility for this critical piece of sustainable infrastructure is the result of our confidence in the South Australian construction environment and a further extension of our existing commitments to support the State's development,” he said.
TrustPower, a listed New Zealand electricity company, awarded Siemens the contract to engineer, procure, construct and maintain a full turnkey solution for 90 wind turbines including the substation, switchgear and transformers to connect the wind farm into the grid.
David Pryke, head of Siemens Energy, said Snowtown offered some of the most ideal wind conditions for the production of renewable energy.
“The wind technology chosen for the project is ideally suited to the Snowtown II site, featuring state-of-the-art gearless drive systems and highly efficient rotor blades allowing us to maximise the delivery of reliable renewable energy from this project,” he said.
The Snowtown II wind farm will cement South Australia as the lead generator of renewable energy across the nation.
South Australia has already exceeded Australia’s 20 per cent by 2020 renewable energy target, with 26 per cent of South Australia’s electricity now supplied by wind.
South Australia has now set a target of 33 per cent renewable energy target by 2020.
The new Snowtown II wind farm is set to help achieve this target. Snowtown II is co-located with the existing Snowtown wind farm which will more than triple the renewable energy generation of the region.
Dustin Guthberg, who is building development officer with Wakefield Regional Council, said there would be 90 turbines as part of Stage 2, taking the total number of turbines to 138 with a total project value of about $800 million.
“Construction of the turbines and associated infrastructure is awaiting full development approval,” he said.
The site is about 5 kilometres west of Snowtown.