Western Australia’s biggest wind farm, the $450 million Yandin Wind Farm, officially opened yesterday and is now powering businesses across the state.
Located in the Wheatbelt town of Dandaragan, 175 kilometres north of Perth, Yandin, the wind farm is expected to produce more renewable energy than any other wind farm in Western Australia, using 51 4.2 megawatt turbines.
While most wind farms rely on strong and consistent wind from one direction, Dandaragan is buffeted from different directions at different times – a south-westerly in the afternoon, and an easterly overnight. Coupled with the latest turbine technology, it will be one of the best performing wind farms in the country.
Alinta Energy’s Executive Director of Merchant Energy, Ken Woolley, said the wind farm will power the equivalent of approximately 200,000 households across Western Australia each year.
“The capacity factor for this project is around 50 per cent. Without getting into engineering-speak, that’s better than most other wind farms we know of in the country. Dandaragan is probably home to Australia’s best wind for wind farming,” Mr Woolley said.
“Yandin also represents Alinta Energy’s first and most significant direct investment in a renewable energy project of this scale – and we’re thrilled to have done it in WA.”
“The Yandin wind farm will produce cleaner, more affordable renewable energy for Western Australians, and when combined with our gas-fired power stations, it will also help us to use gas more efficiently – which will be good for us, good for our customers, and good for the environment,” he said.
Western Australia’s Energy Minister, Bill Johnston, said the completion of the project reflects the hard work and dedication of everyone involved.
“Projects such as the Yandin Wind Farm illustrate the great potential we have in Western Australia to take advantage of the worldwide transition to clean energy technologies.”
“Around 150 local jobs were created during construction, which took almost one million hours, and created valuable opportunities for businesses in the Wheatbelt,” he said.
“We must continue to develop new renewable energy technologies to reduce energy costs and to meet our commitment of net zero emissions by 2050.”
