Power Corp. delay could end our wind farm plans

Tennant & District Times
Friday 26/10/2007 Page: 3

Tennant Creek may miss out on a wind energy plant because Power and Water Corporation is taking too long to decide, Darwin-based company Powercorp has said. Power and Water Corporation says it has still not called for tenders to build a wind farm at Tennant Creek more than a year after applications closed. Submissions closed in September 2006 for expressions of interest to build the turbines. Power and Water Corporation sustainable energy manager Trevor Horman told Business Week in May that a decision could be expected by June. But no decision has been announced. Powercorp was one of three companies that were shortlisted.

Company founder and owner Alan LanGWorthy said it is getting harder to access the kind of turbines needed for a mid-sized station at Tennant Creek. "The technology is changing and bigger machines are the focus of the world industry," he said. Mr LanGWorthy said Tennant Creek would need about four 600 kW turbines but those types of machines were now scarce.

He said even large wind farm projects are waiting up to 24 months for delivery because demand is causing supply to tighten. "The longer they [Power and Water] leave it, the harder it's getting - it may even be that problematic that it can no longer be done." Power and Water Corporation sustainable energy manager Trevor Horman said the company was not aware the turbines were in short supply. He said the delay in decision making was caused by "a range of operational and practical reasons."