$135m wind farm ready to go ahead

Adelaide Advertiser
Wednesday 6/2/2008 Page: 49

SOUTH Australia will play host to a new $135 million, 57-megawatt wind farm to be developed by Melbourne based renewable energy company Pacific Hydro. The wind farm at Clements Gap - 250km north of Adelaide, close to Port Pirie - will be equipped with 27 windmills supplied by India's largest wind generator manufacturer, Suzlon Energy, under a new agreement signed yesterday. By 2009, the wind farm is expected to power 25,000 households.

The wind farm is the first for Pacific Hydro and is also the first to start construction since the Federal Government committed to increase the Mandatory Renewable Energy Target to 20 per cent by 2020. "South Australia has got an excellent wind regime, streamlined approval process, good transmission lines and there is community support for the Clements Gap project," said Pacific Hydro's chief executive Rob Grant.

SA-based Consolidated Power Projects Australia will begin civil works at the wind farm this April. With construction tipped to take 18 months, the windmills are likely to arrive at Port Adelaide late this year or early next year. Mr Grant said the encouraging policy environment was behind the company's investment decision. "Labour's policy on MRET gave us and the retailers certainty to proceed with the project," Mr Grant said. The project had received planning approval in 2005, but the lack of a supportive policy environment had held back investment decisions. "A 20 per cent renewable energy target is expected to drive more than $20 billion in new investment across Australia." Mr Grant added.