Construction begins on Australia's largest wind farm

Construction on Australia’s largest wind farm has commenced with a sod turning event at the project site in the Golden Plains Shire in Victoria. 

The $3 billion Golden Plains Wind Farm is a landmark project that supports the State’s transition to a clean energy future. 

The 1,300MW wind farm is set to become Australia’s largest wind farm and it is a key element to helping Victoria reach its ambitious 95 per cent renewable energy target by 2035 as well as net zero emissions by 2045. 

This massive wind farm is proposed to have 215 wind turbines and will feature a 300MW battery storage facility that will contribute to the Victorian Renewable Energy Storage Targets of about 2.6GW of energy storage capacity by 2030 and 6.3GW by 2035. 

The Golden Plains Wind Farm is being delivered in two stages, with the first stage – now under construction – to deliver the first 756MW. 

This large-scale wind farm is being built on a 16,739-hectare site to the west, south and south west of Rokewood, about 60 kilometres north west of Geelong. The land on which the wind farm will stand is primarily used for agricultural purposes. 

A Community Reference Group has been established to oversee community engagement throughout the project life as well as to establish a Community Grants Program for non-for-profit community groups. 

The Golden Plains Wind Farm is expected to create about 700 jobs over its two-staged construction and approximately 70 direct ongoing jobs once operational. 

“Victoria’s the clean energy investment capital of Australia, and this project is another example of how Victoria’s ambitious renewable energy policies are creating jobs and driving the renewables sector. 

“Golden Plains Wind Farm is creating hundreds of jobs and once complete is capable of generating 9 per cent of Victoria’s total electricity demand,” Minister for Energy and Resources Lily D’Ambrosio said. 

Once up and running, the Golden Plains Wind Farm will have the capability to produce over 4,000GWh of green energy a year, providing enough power for more than 765,000 homes. 

The wind farm will also help prevent the emission of more than 4.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere annually. 

The first stage of the Golden Plains Wind Farm is estimated to cost $2 billion and will deliver 122 wind turbines. 

Last year, TagEnergy became the sole equity investor for Stage 1 of the Golden Plains Wind Farm project and WestWind Energy has been contracted to undertake the construction of the project as well as carry out asset management services. 

Stage 1 is expected to begin producing clean energy in the first quarter of 2025. 

Source: Premier of Victoria – Media Centre; Renew Economy; Golden Plains Wind Farm; WestWind Energy