General News
12 February, 2020
ACCIONA Energy welcomes transformer delivery to Mortlake
ANOTHER milestone has moved the Mortlake South Wind Farm project closer to completion after the delivery of a $2 million transformer this week.
ANOTHER milestone has moved the Mortlake South Wind Farm project closer to completion after the delivery of a $2 million transformer this week.
Wind farm developer ACCIONA Energy purchased the transformer from a local Victorian business to help meet the State Government requirement that a minimum 64 per cent of content for the wind farm must be acquired locally to support jobs and manufacturing.
On Sunday night, the 200-tonne transformer began the journey from Glen Waverley to Mortlake and arrived the following day under VicRoads supervision.
The transformer is scheduled for installation at the sub-station, and will facilitate the export of electricity from the wind turbines to the electricity grid.
ACCIONA Energy managing director Brett Wickham said the project has provided an opportunity for people to work in construction locally.
“On this project, 92 per cent to 93 per cent of the workforce during civil construction have been local, coming from areas such as Purrumbete, Cobden and Warrnambool,” he said.
“The local content targets for the project have also supported local jobs in the broader Victorian manufacturing industry.”
Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio visited the Melbourne-based manufacturing site last week prior to the trip to Mortlake.
“This is an exciting next step in yet another renewable energy project that’s supporting local industry, creating local jobs, boosting supply and driving down prices,” she said.
“We’re seeing unprecedented renewable energy investment and jobs growth in Victoria thanks to our ambitious energy targets.”
The 35-turbine wind farm began construction last March, creating 90 local jobs and delivering $275 million in capital investment.
Once complete, the site is expected to support 34 local jobs and produce enough clean energy to power 115,000 homes each year.
The State Government is expected to exceed the commitment to a target of achieving 25 per cent renewable energy this year ahead of the Victorian Renewable Energy Target increase to 50 per cent by 2030.
Renewable energy accounted for 21.3 per cent of total energy generated in Victoria between 2018 and 2019, an increase of three per cent on the previous year.
The Mortlake South Wind Farm project is scheduled for completion in early 2021.
The focus over the coming months will be to continue the electrical works, including the construction of the sub-station and the installation of the 220-kilovolt underground transmission line.
For more information on the project, visit www.acciona.com.au/projects/energy/wind-power/mortlake-south-wind-farm.