Choppers and concrete pours: Helicopter joins effort to deliver huge Twiggy Forrest wind farm

A helicopter has been deployed at Squadron Energy’s Uungala wind farm to start stringing the transmission lines that will connect the huge project to the grid in central western New South Wales.

Squadron said on Wednesday that a team from Leading Edge Helicopters was working closely with the project’s construction team and aviation and safety experts to attach 11km of 330 kV single circuit transmission line to 28 transmission towers over the coming months.

“This approach will support the safe, efficient and timely stringing of transmission lines at Uungula Wind Farm, which Lumea is pleased to deliver in partnership with Squadron Energy,” said Craig Stallan, executive general manager of Lumea, part of the Transgrid Group.

The 414 megawatt (MW) Uungala wind farm near Wellington in NSW will be the largest in the state, once complete – until others such as the massive, recently approved 1.45 gigawatt (GW) Yanco Delta project is built.

Squadron Energy – the renewables outfit controlled by iron ore billionaire and green energy champion Andrew Forrest – has contracted Lumea to build, operate and maintain the Uungula Wind Farm substation, switching station, and transmission lines.

Image: Squadron Energy

Squadron’s general manager of contracts and controls, Mark Hunt, says construction of the wind farm is also well underway, with concrete foundations complete for 30 of 69 turbines and turbine components, including blades, set to make the journey from the Port of Newcastle in coming months.

“I want to thank the local community, our contractors and our partners for their support to reach this stage of the project, which is creating 262 jobs and investing $41 million in the regional economy,” Hunt said on Wednesday.

“We are continuing to work hard to make sure that the project is creating a positive legacy in the region by investing in long term projects that matter to the community – including partnering with Dubbo Regional Council to deliver a new advanced wastewater treatment facility in Dubbo.”

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