Boco Rock To Produce Enough Wind Power for 120,000 Homes

Wind Prospect’s Boco Rock Wind Farm in New South Wales has been given the go ahead for up to 122 wind turbines spread over 17 different properties and the potential to produce over 840,000 megawatt hours of electricity per annum. Meanwhile The Climate Group reports that wind power generation across the eastern states grew by 40% last year as several large farms began operating.

Wind Prospect announcement (10 August 2010):

Wind Prospect CWP is pleased to announce that the Boco Rock Wind Farm has been granted Development Approval by the NSW Government. The project, located 6 km south west of Nimmitabel and approximately 40 km south of Cooma on the Monaro plains, will comprise up to 122 wind turbines spread over 17 different properties.

The wind farm has the potential to produce over 840,000 megawatt hours of electricity per annum; enough energy to supply over 120,000 average Australian homes.

Boco Rock Wind Farm will cost in the order of $700 million to build and up to 40% of that total will be injected into the Australian economy through construction and supply contracts. In addition it is estimated that over 240 jobs could be created through pre-construction and construction works, with a further 15 to 20 permanent positions required for ongoing operation and maintenance activities once the wind farm has been built.

“We aim to begin construction mid-2011 with the first clean, green electricity flowing from the site by mid- 2012. Full commissioning is expected to occur in 2013” said Ed Mounsey, Wind Prospect CWP’s Development Director.

The project will also generate additional benefits for the local area around the wind farm. A community fund will be created to provide up to $305,000 per annum to be spent on projects chosen by local people. Conservation areas will also be established to be managed by local landowners. “These conservation areas are important as, in addition to retaining the natural biodiversity of the area, they allow participating landowners to follow less intensive and more sustainable farming practices particularly during times of drought”, Mr Mounsey concluded.

However, Mr Mounsey also adds, “a project of this size, whilst significant, will only account for 2% of the Federal Government’s expanded renewable energy target. With wind energy the lowest cost renewable energy provider it is necessary for state and federal governments and regulators to continue to create the right policy, regulatory and commercial environment to encourage both the development and financing of such projects”.

Wind Prospect CWP Pty Ltd is an independent wind farm development company situated in Newcastle, New South Wales (NSW), Australia.

The company is a partnership between the Wind Prospect Group and Continental Wind Partners and together have a portfolio of over 2,000 MW’s in NSW alone at various stages of development.

Source: www.windprospect.com.au

Adam Morton in Sydney Morning Herald (9 August 2010):

Wind power generation across the eastern states grew by 40 per cent last year as several large farms began operating.

A Climate Group report on electricity generation and its emissions, covering all states except Western Australia, found 83 per cent of power used in 2009 came from greenhouse-intensive coal. Nine per cent was from renewable sources – mainly hydro power – and 8 per cent from gas.

The biggest growth from renewable sources was from wind turbines, which fed 4.1 million megawatt hours into the national electricity grid. The increase was boosted by the opening of the largest wind farm at Waubra, north-west of Ballarat.

Wind supplies about 2 per cent of total power across the eastern seaboard. This is expected to grow dramatically over the next decade as wind farms are built to meet the bulk of the national 20 per cent renewable energy target.

The growth in renewable power last year meant emissions were about 2 million tonnes lower than if the electricity had come from coal.

Source: www.smh.com.au