First tower on the way, now just 127 to go

Ballarat Courier
10/01/2008 Page: 3

Waubra Wind Farm's first turbine tower has been erected, with 127 more to go. Developer Acciona Energy awarded Portland's Keppel Prince Engineering the contract to supply and erect the towers, with the first sections delivered to the site last month. Yesterday, site crews installed a nacelle on the first tower, ready for the blades to be installed.

There are three tower bases already installed on the site, with a fourth currently being erected. The project's next stage will see substations built and underground and overhead cabling installed. Construction of its maintenance facility in Harrisons Rd will also begin on Monday.

The company plans to start generating electricity and pumping into the grid this year, with the wind farm able to generate power from one part of the site while the rest is being completed. The $450 million wind farm is the largest currently being built in the southern hemisphere, and will power 143,000 households.

Acciona Energy construction manager Bruce Payne said the project had gone well, considering its size, the area, the people and equipment involved. "It's all running on time, to budget and going quite smoothly, and we aim to keep it that way," he said. This is the start of the cycle and the cusp of the whole process to gradually set it up."