The first massive wind turbine blades for the $373 million Kaban Green Power Hub have arrived at the Port of Cairns.
The 79-metre, 32-tonne blades are part of the wind farm construction that is supporting more than 250 jobs in far north Queensland and will deliver enough renewable energy to power 96,000 Queensland homes.
Deputy Premier Steven Miles said the wind farm construction came on the back of a $40 million investment by Powerlink to upgrade the transmission line between Cairns and Townsville from 132kV to 275kV.
“This wind farm will help power the North and keep Queensland on track to meet our 50 per cent renewables target by 2030 as well as creating jobs for Queenslanders,” Mr Miles said.
Mr Miles said Powerlink’s investment in upgrading power infrastructure had enabled the 28-turbine project to power ahead and would also open up further investment.
“This critical infrastructure has the potential to leverage hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of new investment in renewable energy in North Queensland in the future,” Mr Miles said.
The Government’s renewable energy company CleanCo will purchase all of the expected 157MW of energy to be produced at the wind farm located near Ravenshoe, and will also control dispatch to the market.
Powerlink CEO Paul Simshauser said Queensland’s first Renewable Energy Zone (QREZ) was taking shape, with construction of the Tumoulin switching station well underway.
“There are currently 30 people on site at Tumoulin working to connect this wind farm into the grid, with completion due in October this year,” Mr Simshauser said.
“We’re pleased to be able to call on the support of Ravenshoe locals to deliver this project, with Kidner Concrete supplying over 1000m3 of concrete and Dempsey Cranes and Construction for heavy plant hire.”
Once unloaded the blades will be stored in Cairns along with the towers and other components for transport to site.
The components will be loaded on large prime mover trucks to make the 180km journey to site near Ravenshoe with the support of police escorts and Main Roads.
Key facts
- 28 turbines in total
- Blades are 79m long, 32 tonnes each
- Turbine rotor diameter is 162m
- Generator height is 149m
- Tip height (generator + blade) is 230m
- Each turbine consists of 6 sections, ranging between 11m up to 37m. All 6 sections are approximately 80 tonnes each.