500 megawatt wind farm proposed for Queensland

 

by Energy Matters

Coopers Gap Wind Farm Pty Ltd has submitted a proposal to develop a wind farm near Kingaroy, Queensland; to be known as Coopers Gap Wind Farm.  The wind farm will consist of up to 252 wind turbine generators, with a total generation capacity of up to 500MW.  

Costing over $1.2 billion, the project will contribute to Queensland's  renewable energy targets of 6% by 2015 and 10% by 2020.

Coopers Gap Wind Farm Pty Ltd. is a joint effort by by Investec Bank (Australia) Limited and Windlab Systems. Windlab Systems is a CSIRO-established company that specialises in wind resource estimation.

The wind turbines to be used will be approximately 135m overall in height, with a rotor diameter of 104 metres. The electricity generated from each turbine will be transmitted  to a central cable, located next to the 220kv or 132kv power lines that run through the site area. The project area is predominantly cleared cattle grazing country and covers approximately 12,000 hectares in total. 

A comprehensive environmental assessment has been undertaken  and determined the project will have minimal impact on the local flora and fauna population. Any remnant vegetation areas located within the area will be avoided during project construction.

The wind farm will create local employment and generate up to 1.7 million megawatt hours of electricity each year, which is enough to power approximately 320,000 homes. The project is also expected to reduce green house gas emissions by up to 2.2 million tonnes annually.

 

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