Coopers Gap Wind Farm

Coopers Gap Wind Farm
Country Australia
Location Bilboa and Cooranga North, Queensland
Coordinates 26°44′42″S 151°29′06″E / 26.745°S 151.485°E / -26.745; 151.485Coordinates: 26°44′42″S 151°29′06″E / 26.745°S 151.485°E / -26.745; 151.485
Status Proposed
Construction cost A$800 million
Wind farm
Type Onshore
Site area 12,000 hectares (100 km2)
Hub height 135 metres (443 ft)
Rotor diameter 104 metres (341 ft)
Power generation
Units operational 115
Nameplate capacity 500 MW
Annual net output 1.7 TWh

Coopers Gap Wind Farm is a 500-megawatt (671,000 hp) wind power station under construction in the Bilboa and Cooranga North region, of Australia, approximately 50 kilometres (31 mi) south-west of Kingaroy and 65 km (40 mi) north of Dalby in Queensland, Australia.

A 60-metre (197 ft) wind-monitoring mast was installed in March 2006 in order to accurately measure wind speed and direction in the area.[1]

Site

The location for the wind farm is a hilly area to the west of the Bunya Mountains. The site area lies to the north and south of Niagara Road, starting approximately 3 km (2 miles) from the Bunya Highway, as well as to the west of Jarail Road. The site extends to Crowles Road to the south, Cooranga North-Niagara Road to the west, close to Nords Road and Diamondy Road to the North and close to Bunya Highway to the east.

The area is mostly cleared, cattle-grazing country and covers approximately 12,000 hectares (29,700 acres) in total.[2] The project falls within both the South Burnett Regional Council and Western Downs Regional Council jurisdictions.[3]

Project

Coopers Gap Wind Farm will have a total generation capacity of up to 500 megawatts (671,000 hp) and annually, 1.7 million megawatt hours. The wind farm will consist of up to 252 turbines[3] extending across a series of ridge lines within the proposed site. The wind turbines proposed will be approximately 135 metres (443 ft) in height from the tower base to the tip of the blade.[4] The tower will be approximately 80 metres (262 ft) high, and the blades approximately 52 m (171 ft) in length with a rotor diameter of 104 metres (341 ft). The construction costs of the project were initially to be over $1.2 billion.[3] However the project was revised to include 115 turbines and only cost A$800 million.[5]

The electricity generated from each turbine will be transmitted via underground or above ground cabling to a central cable marshalling point at the on site substation, which will be located next to the 220 kv or 132 kv power lines that run through the site area. The sub station will then connect directly into the grid network on site. It is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 2.2 million tonnes annually.[2]

In April 2011, some local landholders expressed concerns at a community forum related to health effects and the noise of the wind turbines, some of which will be less than a kilometre from homes.[5]

In March 2017, the project was approved by the Coordinator-General. The approved project consists of up to 115 turbines, with a maximum tip height of 180, and a maximum rotor diameter of 140m. The expected nameplate capacity is up to 460 megawatts (617,000 hp).[6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Coopers Gap Wind Farm Archived 13 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine.. Windlab Systems.
  2. 1 2 "500 megawatt wind farm proposed for Queensland". Energy Matters. 7 August 2008. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 Petrina Berry (14 August 2008). "Wind farm to power 320,000 homes". Brisbane Times. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 29 August 2010.
  4. ↑ Coopers Gap Wind Farm Information Brochure. Windlab Systems.
  5. 1 2 "Graziers split over proposed location of wind turbines near Kingaroy". The Sunday Mail. Queensland Newspapers. 3 April 2011. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
  6. ↑ http://statements.qld.gov.au/Statement/2017/3/2/queenslands-biggest-wind-farm-powers-ahead
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