Win for windy west

The west Wimmera has taken its first step into the world of renewable-energy generation with construction of a $75-million Kiata Wind Farm project underway.

Victorian Renewable Energy Advocate Simon Corbell turned the first sod for the project at an on-site ceremony yesterday, marking the start of a new primary industry in the region.

The new 30-megawatt wind farm, designed to generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of 20,000 households, is scheduled to be operational and pumping power into the electrical grid by Christmas.

Landowners, investors, officials and members of the Kiata community were at the site, which will undergo a significant transformation during a nine-month building program.

The farm, owned by John Laing Infrastructure, Windlab and members of the district community, will feature the largest and most efficient wind towers in Australia.

Nine 3.45MW machines have a rotor diameter of 127 metres and from ground to rotor tip will stand 180 metres high.

Windlab Limited is an international wind-energy development company established to commercialise worldleading atmospheric modelling and wind-mapping technology developed at Australia’s CSIRO.

Using the technology it can rapidly, accurately and remotely locate and validate new, highly prospective wind-energy sites. It used the system to pinpoint the Kiata site and a Coonooer Bridge farm near Bendigo, which is already operational.

Windlab is developing more than 50 renewable-energy sites, totalling more than 7000MW of capacity across Australia, Canada, southern Africa and the United States.

John Laing Infrastructure is an international developer, investor and manager of infrastructure projects.

Its business is focused on major transport, social and environmental projects under governmental publicprivate partnership, or PPP programs, and renewable energy projects, across a range of international markets.

Community ownership

Windlab uses an ‘open engagement and community share ownership scheme’, which involves offering neighbouring landowners an opportunity to partly own the wind farms.

Hindmarsh Shire Council Mayor Debra Nelson said the council was pleased to see construction of the project start.

“It will bring important investment to our community. As a farming community we are very exposed to climate change and are happy to make a contribution in combatting it by supporting the production of low-cost, clean energy for the state,” she said.

Wind-farm construction will generate about 100 jobs and when operational will need staff and hire contractors to maintain the centre for the farm’s expected life span of 25 years.

Windlab chief executive Roger Price, who was among officials at the sod-turning ceremony, said the Kiata project provided a great example of business working in partnership with people.

“Windlab is very pleased to see another one of our wind projects start construction in Victoria. Kiata was developed in record time, using Windlab’s in-house development expertise and with the terrific support of the community,” he said.

“Kiata brings the total direct investment in the state through Windlab’s wind projects to more than a quarter of a billion dollars.

“We look forward to adding to that total as the state continues its push towards a clean, competitive, cost-effective and modern electricity network.”

The State Government plans to lift the state’s production of renewable energy to 25 percent by 2020 and 40 percent by 2025.

It has also called for expressions of interest for the construction of a 20MW grid-scale battery in western Victoria.