Preparations for second farm

Anew transformer at Murra Warra Wind Farm north of Horsham has raised renewed speculation that the second phase of the overall farm project might soon get underway.

But developer RES Australia has fallen short of confirming the arrival of the 135-tonne transformer is a green light for construction of another 58 wind turbines.

Communications and stakeholder engagement manager Susan Findlay-tickner said the transformer, which linked energy generated from the farm to the electricity network, was simply an important step towards the realisation of a second stage.

She added that for a second phase to be in a position to go ahead there was a need for preparatory works and that was why the new transformer was now on site.

“The expectation is that construction might start later in 2020, but this is far from confirmed,” she said.

“Discussions regarding the second phase are progressing and like everyone else, we’re hoping for a positive outcome.”

Work on the $247-million stage one of the wind farm, completed in January, involves 61 wind turbines that provide enough electricity to power the equivalent of 220,000 houses.

RES Australia developed the farm’s first stage, owned by Partners Group.

A Telstra-led consortium of energy users, including ANZ Bank, Coca-cola Amatil and University of Melbourne, signed a power-purchase agreement for the stageone farm in 2017.

The proposed second stage, also being developed by RES Australia, is independent from the first stage of the project, which means it must undergo its own set of private-investment processes and planning to get underway.

A semi-trailer hauled the new transformer from Melbourne to Horsham and eventually Murra Warra via the Western and Henty highways.

The load was considerably lighter than a stage-one transformer because of the absence of more than 60,000 litres of oil.

If stage two of the farm becomes a reality, the overall site, rated among the richest broadacre dryland farming areas in Australia, will also be home to one of the nation’s largest wind-farm projects.

The Murra Warra project, along with other renewable-energy farms either operational, under construction or in planning stages, has provided an example of a growing regional and primary industry.

RES Australia provides development, construction and asset-management for wind, solar and power storage technologies.

“The expectation is that construction might start later in 2020, but this is far from confirmed. Discussions regarding the second phase are progressing and like everyone else, we’re hoping for a positive outcome” – Susan Findlay-tickner