The Dulacca Wind Farm in Queensland has begun operations, bringing the state closer to achieving its renewable energy targets.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Minister for Energy, Renewables, and Hydrogen Mick de Brenni officially opened the 180MW wind project on Wednesday, 18 October.
Developed by RES and owned by Octopus Australia, the new wind farm can generate enough clean energy to power approximately 124,000 households annually. It created 150 jobs in regional Queensland during the peak of construction.
State-owned energy company CleanCo signed a long-term power purchase agreement with the Dulacca Wind Farm to acquire 70 per cent of the output. This means that the renewable energy generated in the wind farm, located in the Western Downs, will support CleanCo in providing affordable, clean energy to its customers. These include BHP Mitsubishi Alliance and the Scentre Group, which owns and operates Queensland’s shopping centres.
“Every time we connect a new wind farm, we are applying downward pressure on power bills, with Queensland wholesale power costs trending cheaper this last quarter,” Minister de Brenni said.
“Consumers everywhere are demanding reductions in embedded emissions, and in the future, Queenslanders can shop at their local Westfield knowing they’re making a contribution to preventing damaging climate change,” the minister added.
Octopus Investments Australia Managing Director Sam Reynolds said the opening of Dulacca marks a significant milestone for Octopus as its first operating wind farm in Queensland.
“Octopus has a number of other renewable development projects in the Western Downs region, supporting the build-out of the Queensland SuperGrid. This includes our recent 1Gwh Queensland battery and Western Downs Energy Park to support providing clean, cheap and reliable firmed renewable energy to Queenslanders.” Reynolds added.
“The Dulacca Wind Farm represents a significant moment in Queensland’s energy transformation, twelve months on from the establishment of the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan, and highlights our commitment to cleaner, cheaper energy for Queenslanders,” said Premier Palaszczuk.
“We’re not just powering Queensland, we’re contributing to a global shift toward decarbonisation, and our publicly owned clean energy generator CleanCo is at the forefront,” she added.
