Wattle Point Wind Farm, South Australia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wattle Point Wind Farm is a wind farm near Edithburgh on the coast of South Australia, which has been operating since April 2005. When it was officially opened in June of that year it was Australia's largest wind farm at 91 megawatts. The installation consists of 55 wind turbines covering 17.5 square kilometres (6.8 sq mi)and was built at a cost of 180 million Australian dollars.[1] It is connected to ETSA Utilities electricity transmission system via a 132 kilovolt line.[2]
The location was chosen after identification as having one of mainland Australia's highest average wind speeds. The wind farm was officially opened by South Australian Premier Mike Rann and Southern Hydro Chairman, Dr Keith Turner. [3] The opening was opposed by some of the local Indigenous Australians, the Adjahdura (or Narungga). A descendant of the traditional landowners argued that construction desecrated an ancient burial ground, disturbing skeletons in the construction of turbine number four.[4] Work was halted in late 2004 after the discovery of human remains, artefacts and tools. The Aboriginal Affairs Department, and the developers, separately commissioned archaeological reports resulting in the development allowed to proceed with five towers being repositioned. Both reports concluded that the bones had come from elsewhere on the peninsula, being later reburied at Wattle Point. The region's aboriginal community was divided on construction; Narungga National Aboriginal Corporation supporting development and the Narungga Heritage Committee strongly opposing.[5]
Wattle Point Wind Farm was built and owned by Southern Hydro Pty Limited. Southern Hydro was owned by Meridian Energy of New Zealand until October 2005, when it was bought by the Australian Gas Light Company (AGL).[6] The windfarm was acquired by Alinta in October 2006, as part of an asset merger with AGL, and subsequently by the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group's Energy Infrastructure Trust, for 225 million dollars on April 23, 2007.[7]
An extension, Wattle Point Stage 2, was proposed, but not built because of insufficient capacity in the electrical transmission lines [8].
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Wattle Point Wind Farm. District council of Yorke Peninsula. Retrieved on 2007-11-13.
- ^ Work underway on connection to Australia's largest wind farm. ETSA Utilities (2004-09-07). Retrieved on 2007-11-13.
- ^ "Australia’s Largest Wind Farm Opened In SA" (August/September 2005). The national newsletter of the Petroleum Exploration Society of Australia (Issue 77).
- ^ "Traditional owners condemn wind farm opening", ABC News (Australia), 2005-06-21. Retrieved on 2007-11-13.
- ^ Bockmann, Michelle Wiese. "Wind farm built on black heritage site", The Australia, 2005-01-27, pp. p.2.
- ^ AGL to build Australia’s largest wind farm. Renewable Energy & Greenhouse Update February 2006. Freehills (2006-03-14). Retrieved on 2006-04-26.
- ^ (pdf)Purchase of Wattle Point Wind Farm Pty Ltd. Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (2007-04-23). Retrieved on 2007-11-13.
- ^ pers. com. Acting Director Development and Community Services, Yorke Pen. Council
