Amazon taps into new Victoria wind farm even as its boss courts favour with Trump

Technology giant Amazon has started taking output from a new 97MW wind farm in Victoria’s Western District that has now commenced full commercial operations.

The Hawkesdale wind farm, located 30 kms north-west of Warrnambool, is owned and operated by Global Power Generation, the international energy generation arm of Spain-based multinational Naturgy.

Th wind farm consisting of 23 turbines, and is expected to generate 337GWh of power each year – the rough equivalent to the annual needs of 67,000 homes.

However, instead of powering homes, electricity generated from the Hawkesdale wind farm will be used to power Amazon’s local corporate offices, fulfilment centres, and data centres.

“Amazon is committed to driving the carbon-free energy transition forward, both to advance our Climate Pledge goals, and support Australia’s transition to more sustainable energy sources,” said Michael Cooley, director of public policy at Amazon Australia.

“As global energy demands continue to grow, we’re focused on bringing new sources of solar and wind energy to the country, which will help support our operations, as well as the communities where our customers live and work.

“That’s why we’ve invested in more than 600 solar and wind projects globally and have been named the top corporate purchaser of renewable energy globally for the fifth year in a row.”

Image Credit: GPG Australia

Amazon’s commitment to renewables projects around the world appears to be continuing, despite the decision by its executive chair Jeff Bezos to butter up to the new Trump administration in the US, which is seeking to stop new wind and solar projects and focus entirely on fossil fuel.

During construction of the Hawkesdale wind farm, helicopters were used to string the transmission lines, as part of a larger effort to minimise the impact to native vegetation and cultural heritage sites. According to GPG Australia, however, the technique also ended up being more time efficient and cost effective.

The Hawkesdale wind farm, as well as the 218MW Ryan’s Corner wind project also owned by GPG and located near Port Fairy, officially entered the AEMO Market Management System (EMMS) during the middle of 2024 but were then put through a lengthy commissioning process before reaching full capacity.

Hawkesdale was first granted state consent in 2012 and signed an early power purchase agreement (PPA) with Amazon back in late 2020, before being forced into a legal challenge to overturn planning consent – a challenge which was quickly quashed by the Victorian Supreme Court.

“This project, in collaboration with Amazon, exemplifies our mutual commitment to advancing renewable energy development in Australia,” said Shahmir Mohajerani, head of development for Asia Pacific at GPG Australia.

“By harnessing the wind resources in Victoria, we are not only producing clean energy but also helping the state achieve its ambitious renewable energy targets, while creating new economic opportunities for the local community.”