APA is moving close to construction of a 230MW wind and solar renewable energy park in Western Australia after winning approval for the construction of the 130MW Badgingarra wind farm.
The new wind farm was this week awarded an electricity licence by the state regulator and is expected to reach financial close in the next month. It has already secured a 12 year power purchase agreement for its output and large-scale renewable energy certificates from Alinta Energy.
Badgingarra will be built alongside the existing 80MW Emu Downs wind farm and the 20MW Emu Downs solar farm which is also about to begin construction, creating a 230MW renewable energy precinct near Cervantes, about 20kms north of Perth.
The Economic Regulation Authority says the new wind farm is expected to produce between 500GWh and 550GWh a year, meaning a capacity factor of up to 44 per cent.
Badgingarra is one of more than 1,000MW of large scale wind and solar projects that are seeking connections through Western Power to the grid, prompting the issue of interim generation licences tor resolve a legal loophole around the building of new network infrastructure, and to unlock a four-year investment drought.
The other major projects include the 300MW Yandin wind project bought earlier this year by Alinta, Sun Brilliance 110MW solar project near Northam, another 110MW solar project near Merredin and numerous small wind and solar projects in the state’s south-west corner.
