Waubra Wind Farm

The Waubra wind farm is located on both sides of the Sunraysia Highway 35 km north-west of Ballarat in Victoria, Australia. It is the fourth largest wind farm in Australia and was the largest wind farm by number of turbines and total capacity in the southern hemisphere upon its completion in July 2009.[1]

Waubra Wind Farm
Part of the Waubra Wind farm from the Sunraysia Highway
CountryAustralia
LocationWaubra, Victoria
Coordinates37.347917°S 143.600208°E / -37.347917; 143.600208
StatusCompleted
Construction beganDecember 2007
Commission dateJuly 2009
Construction costAUD 450m
Owner(s)Acciona Australia
Operator(s)Acciona Australia
Power generation
Units operational128
Nameplate capacity192 MW
External links
Websitewww.acciona.com.au/projects/energy/wind-power/waubra-wind-farm/

Consisting of 128 wind turbines, with associated substations and an operations centre, each wind turbine has a capacity of 1.5 megawatts (MW). The total installed capacity is 192 MW.[1]

The green energy generated by the wind farm each year provides electricity for 143,000 households enough to power a city 3-4 times the size of Ballarat.[2]

Acciona Energy formed a Community Reference Group (CRG) for the construction phase of the Waubra wind farm, to provide a regular forum for community input to the project and to facilitate communication between members of the Waubra community and the wind farm project team.[3] In 2010 the anti-wind farm lobby group the Waubra Foundation adopted the name of the nearby town.

The construction of the Waubra wind farm received financial assistance as part of the Victorian State Government’s Victorian Renewable Energy Target (VRET).[1]

In July 2011 the Australian Broadcasting Corporation 4 Corners program explored health concerns connected with Australian wind farms in its "Against the Wind" report. The Waubra wind farm and the community living around it was featured in the report.

A viewing platform designed by Melbourne-based firm JOH Architects[4] is accessible to tourists and located just off the Sunraysia Highway.

See also

References
  1. Waubra Wind Farm
  2. Ballarat's Energy Use and Emissions - Stats & Facts. Breaze.org.au
  3. Welcome to Waubra Wind Farm
  4. JOH Architects

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