Construction has commenced at Queensland’s Wambo Wind Farm that will soon be home to almost 50 of the largest on-shore wind turbines in Australia.
The project is a joint venture between Cubico Sustainable Investments and energy company, Stanwell Corporation. Located on the Western Downs, west of Toowoomba and Brisbane, the 42 turbines will stand at 247 metres high. While very tall, this is still 33 metres short of the tallest wind turbine in the world (pictured), which is in Jutland, Denmark.
Wind turbines are good news for concrete as it is the preferred material for very tall wind turbines which are also embedded in deep concrete foundations. Construction and connection to the grid is expected to create 450 jobs in Queensland, with the project expected to be online in 2025.
Further south, a consortium comprising Mainstream Renewable Power, Reventus Power, AGL, and DIRECT Infrastructure, has submitted a feasibility licence application for development of an off-shore wind farm off the coast of Victoria.
The area is in Bass Strait off Gippsland, a 15,000 square-kilometre zone that was the first off-shore wind zone declared by the Australian Government. It has the potential to support more than 10 GW of year-round energy generation and the creation of thousands of new jobs.
For AGL, the move forms part of the company’s “strategy to bring forward” its targeted exit from coal to 2035, according to CFO, Gary Brown.
Image: The tallest wind turbine in the world is in Jutland, Denmark. Source: Vestas
About the author
Desi Corbett
Desi is our weekly news journalist and the editor of Concrete in Australia magazine for 10 years. She has been heavily involved in all forms of engineering since 2013; part of a 30-year writing career across a range of subjects and media.