Squadron Energy has set a goal to deliver 30 per cent of the renewables requirements stated in AEMO’s latest Integrated System Plan, which aims for 57 GW by 2030.
To deliver on this, the company is targeting delivery of 12 wind turbines a month, made possible through the 19 wind farms it has in the pipeline, and the 12 power purchase agreements already in place.
Squadron Energy’s portfolio includes five operational wind farms, representing 1.1 GW of renewable energy in operation and 900 MW under construction.
This includes the Clarke Creek Wind Farm in Central Queensland, one of the biggest grid connected renewable energy project underway in Australia, located 150 kilometres north-west of Rockhampton.
In September last year, the first stage of the project started energisation, allowing the wind turbines to start generating power.
One month later, the project completed generation registration with AEMO for the project’s central substation. “This marks a crucial step for the project to ensure that our wind turbines and associated electrical systems are ready for safe and reliable operation,” said Clarke Creek Wind Farm Project Director, John Macchiusi.
Construction onsite continues, with more than 350 jobs created during construction and the project injecting $110 million into the regional economy.
In November, the project reached the halfway mark, with 50 turbines – each standing 207 metres tall – finalising installation, ahead of the expected completion in mid-2025 which will see Queensland’s wind capacity increase by up to 20 per cent.
Once operational, the 450MW wind farm will produce enough electricity to power around 330,000 Queensland homes and avoid 738,000 tonnes of carbon emissions each year.
There are more than 15 Queensland businesses that are contributing to the project, with Queensland government-owned Stanwell Corporation signing a 15-year deal in August 2020 to purchase more than 75 per cent of the energy which will be produced by the first stage of the project. The energy will be supplied to its customers, including Brisbane Airport Corporation and Anglo American.
Brisbane Airport CEO, Gert-Jan de Graaff said the completion of the project will allow its passengers to travel through a Brisbane Airport powered by 100 per cent renewables-backed electricity.
“This is another step toward a lower-emissions future and complements our growing on-site solar power production,” he said.
Stanwell CEO Michael O’Rourke said the company had secured more than 4 GW of renewable energy generation and firming capacity projects in development, under construction or operational.
“This is significant progress on the way to our target of 9 to 10 GW of renewable energy generation and 5 GW of firming by 2035.”
Squadron Energy is now seeking approval for an expansion of the project which will see a total of more than 660,000 homes being powered by the site if it proceeds as expected.
The proposed second stage of the project is currently in the advanced planning stage, and includes another 94 turbines, with an expected capacity of 564 MW.
Once operational, it is expected to generate enough electricity to power around 350,000 Australian homes and avoid 625,000 tonnes of carbon emissions annually.
In addition to the wind farm, the project includes the development of a 400 MW solar farm and a battery energy storage system.
Over the past year, the development of the second stage has included activities such as ecology surveys, optimised project layout, electrical grid connection studies, wind monitoring, cultural heritage surveys and landowner and community engagement to ensure local knowledge is used in the delivery of the project.
