Renewable energy company Tilt Renewables has committed to start construction of the 108MW Waddi Wind Farm in Western Australia.
The Waddi Wind Farm, located in the state’s wheatbelt about 150 kilometres north of Perth, is the first wind farm to reach financial close in 2025 and will begin construction in 2026, with commercial operation targeted for 2028.
Tilt CEO Anthony Fowler hailed the development and touted that the investment ends Australia’s year-long wind energy investment drought.
“This will be the first wind farm to reach a final investment decision in 2025 and shows that the investment drought for new projects in Australia is finally breaking,” Fowler said.
“We now have everything in place to start construction, strong financial backing from our investors, a 15-year supply contract with AGL, an offer to connect to the SWIS, and planning approvals from the local Shire of Dandaragan, state and federal authorities.”
The Waddi Wind Farm is expected to generate enough clean energy to power more than 68,000 homes per year, equivalent to 286,000 tonnes of carbon emissions avoided annually.
The project will facilitate more than 150 new jobs in construction and six permanent jobs during operations, as well as over AU$3.9 million in community benefit funding over the life of the project.
The wind farm has a 15-year supply contract with AGL and an offer to connect to the South West Interconnected System, Western Australia’s main electricity grid.
Fowler said the company has worked to ensure the project minimises impacts on local flora and fauna, as well as on project neighbours.
“This is reflected in the changes we made to the project design and in our commitment to share benefits with our local community.”