Southern Hemisphere's Largest Wind Farm Proposed
Plans for the southern hemisphere’s largest wind farm were submitted late last month, amounting to a $1.7 billion proposal that will include the construction of over 200 wind turbines.
Golden Plains Wind Farm
To be located near Rokewood, Australia, the Golden Plains Wind Farm is slated to power over 500,000 homes and keep more than 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere annually. The wind farm will consist of 235 wind turbines, span 42,860 acres and be constructed by WestWind Energy, the Australian arm of WestWind Group.
Want to find out more about the proposed Golden Plains Wind Farm? Head down to the Rokewood Hall tomorrow (Thur Feb 23) Noon-8pm. pic.twitter.com/Xn7uXsSOZo
— RokewoodGrasshoppers (@rokewoodfc) February 21, 2017
Aside from the turbines themselves, other wind farm infrastructure will include onsite access tracks that include access upgrades; underground electricity cabling; overhead power lines; six permanent meteorological masts; four electricity collection stations; and other temporary infrastructure. Each individual wind turbine rotor will be 492 feet in diameter.
Upon completion, Golden Plains will produce 2,500 GWh annually, with a total capacity of 800 megawatts powering 450,000 homes, and is anticipated to last 25 years.
Wind Farm History
According to WestWind, in 2006, the company began to monitor Golden Plains Shire as a potential wind resource. Ten years later, in 2016, WestWind completed its cultural heritage, social feasibility and environmental investigations and decided to pursue a planning permit for the 800 MW endeavor.
The Urban Developer also noted that the 39 landholders in the area to be impacted by the wind turbines will bring in a total of $3.5 million annually for hosting the project on their properties.
Golden Plains Wind Farm is part of a nationwide endeavor geared towards using 40 percent renewable energy by 2025, and is slated for completion in four to six years once approved.
