Wind's Prospect Get Consent

Electrical World, Page: 3
Friday, 31 March 2006

CONCEIVED, designed and developed by the Wind Prospect Pty Ltd, the 94.5MW Hallett Wind Farm has finally received development consent. As with all South Australian wind energy projects, construction of the 45 turbine wind farm was delayed while a review of generation licences by the Essential Services Commission of South Australia (ESCOSA) was undertaken. The site was identified by Wind Prospect in 2002 as one of the windiest in South Australia.

It was not only selected for its wind resource, but also its environmental suitability, outstanding local support and its location adjacent to an AGL gas fired power station. AGL is the partner in the development. Wind Prospect prepared a comprehensive Environmental Statement, secured the land and optimised the design of the wind farm in the light of all the relevant environmental and operational considerations. Speaking from Wind Prospect's office at Christies Beach near Adelaide, managing director Michael Vawser said "Hallett is the third and by far the largest of our developments in Australia to reach construction, following Mount Millar (70MW) and Canunda (46MW).

In total we have achieved 630MW of development consents to date in South Australia, making us the most successful wind energy developer in the southern hemisphere; a tribute to our highly dedicated and professional team. "Wind Prospect Pty Limited is a subsidiary of the Wind Prospect Group. Founded in 1995 and owned by its staff, Wind Prospect develops, constructs and operates wind energy projects and provides expert advisory services in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and China. To date, Wind Prospect has developed 270MW of wind farms in the UK and 630 in Australia.

Its engineering group has been involved in the construction of 343MW in the UK & Ireland, and the Australian arm recently acted as owner's engineer during the construction of the 46MW Canunda wind farm. Wind Prospect's first Australian project to reach construction was the 70MW Mount Millar project on the Eyre Peninsula with partner Tarong Energy (now under construction), followed by the 46MW Canunda development in the south east of SA with partner International Power, completed in March last year. Set up in 2000, Wind Prospect Pty Limited is based at Christies Beach near Adelaide, with a further office in Brisbane. With a team of only eight professional staff, it continues to be Australia's most successful wind energy developer.