ACCIONA Energia, a global energy giant, has announced its plans to develop a massive $2 billion wind project in Queensland.
The new 1,000 MW Herries Range Wind Farm will be located within the MacIntyre Wind Precinct, west of Warwick, and is expected to be the largest onshore wind project in the world.
The new facility will bring the precinct’s value to $4 billion and the total amount of renewable energy to 2,000 MW— enough to power approximately 1.4 million Queensland households.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the deal with ACCIONA Energia is a testament that Queensland’s vision of delivering an energy system that is made up of 70 per cent renewable energy by 2032 has attracted investors’ interest.
The project boosts the government’s $62 billion Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan, which seeks to bring cheaper and cleaner energy into the system, while building the state’s economy, the premier said in a media statement.
“ACCIONA Energia are one of the world’s leading developers of renewable energy projects and this additional $2 billion commitment is a strong endorsement that Queensland is a renewable energy superpower,” she added.
Deputy Premier Steven Miles said the 180-turbine Herries Range project is expected to support up to 600 additional jobs during construction.
The precinct will now consist of three sites generating a combined total of 2,000 MW of renewable energy, enough to power 1.4 million homes in Queensland.
The MacIntyre Wind Precinct’s first two wind farms— ACCIONA Energia’s 162- turbine wind farm and publicly opened CleanCo’s proposed 18-turbine Karara Wind Farm— were already expected to support 400 construction jobs, Miles said.
“And that’s always been in addition to the 220 workers needed to build Powerlink’s transmission infrastructure that, as part of our new SuperGrid, will deliver the clean energy from MacIntyre Wind Precinct where and when it’s needed.”
Energy Minister Mick de Brenni said the expanded MacIntyre Wind Precinct marks another significant milestone for Queensland and Australia, as the nation seeks to shield households and businesses from exposure to volatile and expensive global fossil fuel markets.
The Herries Range Wind Farm will be ACCIONA Energia’s third clean energy project in Queensland, with the 600 MWp Aldoga solar farm currently under development near Gladstone, said Brett Wickham, the company’s managing director.
“Our plan is to roll from construction of MacIntyre straight into to Herries Range which will mean that workers can move from one large-scale project to the next whilst staying in the same area,” Wickham said.
