The first wind turbine blades for the $373-million Kaban Green Power Hub have arrived in Cairns, with the 79-metre, 32-tonne blades part of the wind farm construction in far north Queensland that will deliver enough renewable energy to power 96,000 Queensland homes.
Queensland deputy Premier Steven Miles said the wind farm construction came on the back of a $40-million investment by Queensland’s publicly owned Powerlink to upgrade the transmission line between Cairns and Townsville from 132 kilovolts to 275 kilovolts.
Miles continued: “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.”
He added that Powerlink’s investment in upgrading power infrastructure had enabled the 28-turbine project to go ahead, and would also open up further investment.
Miles said: “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.”
Minister for Energy, Renewables and Hydrogen Mick de Brenni said the arrival was a welcome milestone after the Palaszczuk Government had moved to secure 250 North Queensland jobs with the Kaban wind farm after the Morrison Government turned their back on the project.
De Brenni said: “The arrival of the turbine blades is a big reminder to Queenslanders that the Morrison Government is so divided on renewables, they used their veto powers to block funding for this project – and no one will ever forget that.
“For Queensland’s part, we’ll continue to invest in large-scale storage and renewable projects, rather than cut and run on them, because our clean energy future depends on it.”
Minister de Brenni also pointed to the missed opportunity of manufacturing the equipment locally because of the Federal Government’s ambivalence toward renewables and manufacturing.
He said: “The Palaszczuk Government’s energy policy has delivered significant global investment and jobs through this project, however what would deliver an even better outcome for Queensland and the nation would be a national renewables manufacturing industry policy, and only Labor stands for that.”
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.
Member for Cairns Michael Healy said more infrastructure means more jobs.
Healy said: “As well as creating jobs in Cairns and the hinterland, it’s good for the environment and reflects the Palaszczuk Government’s recognition of the importance of clean and reliable energy and our 50 per cent renewable energy target by 2030.
“The arrival of this equipment has also shown the importance of our port, and being publicly-owned means Queenslanders benefit from exports and imports arriving in our state.”
CleanCo interim chief executive Darryl Rowell said the project was a key plank in CleanCo’s strategy to grow its portfolio, which includes a commitment to support the entry of 1,400 megawatts of new renewable energy into the market by 2025.
Powerlink chief executive Paul Simshauser said Queensland’s first Renewable Energy Zone (QREZ) was taking shape, with construction of the Tumoulin switching station well underway.
Simshauser continued: “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.
“We’re pleased to be able to call on the support of Ravenshoe locals to deliver this project, with Kidner Concrete supplying over 1,000 cubic metres 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 loaded on large prime mover trucks to make the 180 kilometre journey to site near Ravenshoe with the support of police escorts and Main Roads.