A second stage of the Wambo wind farm in Queensland’s Western Downs region has been confirmed by its developers, with the addition of a further 41 turbines set to take the project’s final renewable energy generation capacity to just over 500MW.
Joint venture developers Cubico Sustainable Investments and state-owned Stanwell Corporation said on Wednesday that stage two of the project will add another 254.2MW to the 252MW that is currently under construction, with stage one set for completion in 2025.
Construction of the second stage is slated to begin later this year, with electricity from the huge project expected to start powering Queensland homes as early as 2026.
The two stages of the wind farm are backed by a total by $455.8 million from the Palaszczuk government’s Renewable Energy and Hydrogen Jobs Fund for Stanwell’s 50% share in the project, which may also include a 40MW/200MWh big battery.
Cubico said on Wednesday that the confirmation of the stage two expansion was a “significant milestone” and would contribute to the state government’s green jobs targets with the creation of up to 200 jobs in the construction phase and multiple full-time roles once operations commence.
“As Australia’s energy transition accelerates, we are proud of our leading role enabling Queensland to achieve its ambitious renewables goals,” said Cubico country manager for Australia, David Smith.
“Our commitment goes beyond delivering sustainable energy; we are actively collaborating with the local community and landowners to create a lasting impact with Community Benefit Funds that have contributed over $100,000 to initiatives in Jandowae and the Western Downs Region.”
The 42 Vestas turbines being installed for stage one – construction started in June last year – are some of the largest yet installed in Australia, at 247m tall, and state-owned network company Powerlink will build a new 50km line to connect the wind farm to the grid.
