GeelongPort has handled over 500,000 tonnes of Vestas wind turbine equipment for the Golden Plains Wind Farm, which is being developed by TagEnergy at a cost of $2 billion for its 756 MW first phase.
With another vessel at GeelongPort this week, the volume of components expertly transported to Rokewood near Geelong will continue to grow.
GeelongPort’s GM Commercial Elias Anastasiou said the port was thrilled to mark the 500,000th tonne of wind turbine equipment bound for stage one of the Golden Plains Wind Farm.
“Over the past six months, we have seen experts across the entire supply chain working together to deliver the components to Rokewood and bring us another step closer to generating more clean energy for Victoria,” he said.
“Each blade is half the length of the MCG, so it’s no easy feat to move them safely and efficiently.”
During the project’s first stage, known as Golden Plains Wind Farm – East, GeelongPort will receive 1,464 components on 21 individual shipments.
The project is also moving ahead on site, with the first turbine for stage one successfully installed in February.
The V162 wind turbines are the first of their type to be installed in Victoria. They showcase Vestas’ tallest onshore hub height (149 metres) and longest blades (79 metres) and have Vestas’ highest-rated output in Australia at 6.2MW.
The major components used to construct the 122 wind turbines include 366 blades, 732 tower sections and 122 individual “powertrains”, which make up the gearbox and the generator, “nacelles”, which cover the generator functions at the top of the wind turbine, and “hubs” positioned at the centre of the three blades.
Once completed, Golden Plains Wind Farm – East will generate enough clean energy to power approximately 450,000 homes and prevent more than 4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually.
