Warradarge Wind Farm is located 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) northeast of Warradarge, and 30 kilometres (19 mi) southeast of Eneabba in the Mid West region of Western Australia. Construction commenced in 2019 and the first of its planned 51 turbines was completed on 21 January 2020. The wind farm has been operational since August 2020.[1][2]
| Warradarge Wind Farm | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Country | Australia |
| Location | Warradarge |
| Coordinates | 29°58′48″S 115°29′24″E / 29.98000°S 115.49000°E |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | 2019 |
| Commission date | August 2020 |
| Construction cost | A$500m |
| Owner | Bright Energy Investments |
| Operator | Vestas |
| Employees | 6 |
| Wind farm | |
| Type | Onshore |
| Hub height | 84 metres (276 ft) |
| Rotor diameter | 136 metres (446 ft) |
| Power generation | |
| Units operational | 51 × 3.6 MW |
| Make and model | Vestas V136 |
| Units under const. | 51 × 3.6 MW |
| Nameplate capacity | 183.6 MW |
| Capacity factor | 38% |
| External links | |
| Website | www |
It is owned by Bright Energy Investments, a joint venture between the Dutch fund manager DIF Capital Partners (40.05%), Australian industry superannuation fund Cbus (40.05%), and the Western Australian government's electricity generator and retailer Synergy (19.9%). The construction and maintenance contracts are with Danish company Vestas.[3][4]
Originally proposed in 2012 for up to 100 turbines generating 250 MW of electricity, the wind farm was completed in 2020 with 51 turbines, capable of generating up to 180 MW for the South West Interconnected System, the electricity grid in southern Western Australia, equivalent to providing power for 144,000 homes.[4][5][6]
The wind turbines are manufactured by Vestas with 66 metre blades and a tip height of 152 metres above the ground. Western Power constructed a 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) transmission line from the wind farm to the existing 330 kV transmission network near Eneabba.[7][6]
In 2023 funding was announced for a potential expansion of the wind farm.[8]
Operations
editOperations began in August 2020.[1] The generation table uses AEMO Facility SCADA to obtain generation values for each month. Warradarge's code is WARRADARGE_WF1. A SUMIF operation is used on the data published by AEMO to get the total (shown in the table below). Each month's values start 8 hours into the respective month and extend 8 hours into the next month, in line with the trading day defined in the Wholesale Energy Market Rules.[9]
| Year | Total | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 197,134 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 7,131 | 31,244 | 37,146 | 54,546 | 67,067 |
| 2021 | 604,089 | 63,260 | 68,094 | 55,782 | 23,891 | 45,563 | 44,096 | 51,823 | 45,202 | 45,636 | 46,432 | 48,168 | 66,141 |
References
edit- ^ a b "Warradarge Wind Farm powers up" (PDF). Perth, WA: Bright Energy Investments. 12 August 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
- ^ Vorrath, Sophie (21 January 2020). "First turbine up at 180MW Warradarge Wind Farm in W.A." Renew Economy. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
- ^ "Application Summary - The Warradarge Wind Farm" (PDF). Bright Energy Investments. 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
- ^ a b Parkinson, Giles (11 April 2018). "Cbus, DIF join Synergy to boost wind and solar portfolio". Renew Economy. Mullumbimby, NSW. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
- ^ "Warradarge Wind Farm". Western Australian Environmental Protection Authority. Joondalup, WA. 18 October 2012. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
- ^ a b "Warradarge Wind Farm". Perth, WA: Bright Energy Investments. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
- ^ "Warradarge Wind Farm - Under Construction". Bright Energy Investments. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
- ^ "$3 billion investment for a cleaner energy future". Perth WA: Government of Western Australia. 11 May 2023. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
- ^ "Wholesale Electricity Market Rules".