Australia’s most successful renewables and storage developer Neoen has begun construction of a major new wind farm and big battery that will help power one of the world’s biggest mines, and push the state of South Australia closer to its target of reaching 100 per cent net renewables.
The Goyder North wind farm will be sized at 346 megawatts – beaten only in the state by the nearby 412.5 MW Goyder South wind farm that Neoen also owns – and will be accompanied by the Goyder battery, sized at 454 MW and 1,814 MWh.
The news came on the same day that Tilt Renewables officially started construction of the 278 MW Palmer wind farm, meaning that the state now has three new wind projects under construction, and a number of big batteries, in its push to reach 100 per cent net renewables by the end of next year.
“The green goldrush shows no sign of abating and underpins that a focus on renewables is not just good for the environment, but for the economy,” state energy minister Tom Koutsantonis said after attending a sod-turning ceremony at the Palmer facility.
“Investment in operational large-scale renewable energy generation and storage projects in South Australia now totals more than $6.6 billion across 37 operational projects, and there’s now an estimated $32.48 billion of projects under construction or with development approval – a combined total value approaching $40 billion.”
The Goyder projects combined account for more than 1.2 GW of new capacity and make up one of the biggest renewable energy parks in the country. The two Goyder wind farms will account for one fifth of the electricity supply into South Australia.
Goyder North and the Goyder battery are already part of a deal to supply 100 MW of “baseload renewables” to BHP’s giant copper operations at Olympic Dam and Prominent Hill, adding to the 70 MW supply deal that is already being met by the Goyder South wind farm and Neoen’s Blyth battery.
Xavier Barbaro, Neoen’s Group CEO, said it was the company’s second wind project – after the recently announced Narrogin wind farm in Western Australia – to go into construction in Australia this year.
“South Australia is leading the world in its progress towards 100% net renewables, and we are proud to be playing a central role in accelerating this transition,” he said in a statement.
Koutsantonis said the next stage of the Goyder Renewables Zone is another vote of confidence in South Australia’s economy and clean energy future.
“Neoen’s partnership with BHP brings together two of our state’s great strengths: world-class renewable energy and abundant copper resources, helping secure investment, support jobs and supply the minerals needed for the global energy transition.”
Goyder North is the third wind project to begin construction this year in South Australia, after the Palmer and Carmody’s Hill wind projects.
And it continues to a rich spell of announcements for wind projects in Australia that follows a year-long wind drought. Western Australia now has five new wind farms under construction, including the biggest to begin in more than two years at Parron Maam Marang, and even in Queensland one wind project has reached financial close.
The start of construction at Goyder North and Palmer means that Australian can now count 10 new wind farm construction starts this year – Waddi, Narrogin, Nullagine, Kondinin and Parron Maam Marang in W.A, Palmer, Carmody’s Hill and Goyder North in South Australia, Delburn in Victoria, and Gawara Baya in Queensland.
Eight of these projects have underwriting agreements under the federal government’s Capacity Investment Scheme, about one quarter of the wind projects selected to date. A lot more capacity will be needed to meet the 2030 goal of 82 per cent renewables.
The story is different in South Australia, which aims to reach 100 per cent “net” renewables by the end of next year,. The three new South Australia wind projects total around 880 MW, boosting the state’s wind capacity by nearly one third.
Wind supplied 45 per cent of the state’s electricity demand in the last 12 months, and the addition of the three new wind projects will boost that share to a notional 60 per cent. But that figure should jump as the new link to NSW, Project EnergyConnect, ramps up to full capacity and reduces wind curtailment, along with the fleet of new batteries.
The Goyder North facility will be built on the lands of the Ngadjuri Nation near the town of Burra in SA’s Mid North region and will connect into the existing Bundey substation.
Vestas will install 48 of its new V172-7.2 MW wind turbines on the site, and 40 of the same turbines will be used at Palmer. It is the first time these turbines have been deployed in Australia. Downer will design and construct the associated connection and transmission infrastructure at Goyder, while BMD has the construction contract at Palmer.
Neoen says construction of the first stage of Goyder North will add around 500 new construction jobs, and more than 10 permanent roles. Tilt says there will be 200 construction jobs at Palmer.
“The support from the Commonwealth’s Capacity Investment Scheme combined with a long term off take agreement contract with our partner AGL, provided the certainty needed to make such a large investment,” Tilt’s head of development Laurent Francisci said in a statement.
Neoen’s existing community benefit-sharing program for the Goyder zone includes the creation of a new national park at Worlds End Gorge. Goyder North has a commitment to protect a further 1,300 hectares of land in partnership with the Ngadjuri Nation.
“The start of construction at Goyder North is another major milestone for our flagship Goyder Renewables Zone and reflects the strength of the partnerships we have built across the region over the past decade,” said Jean-Christophe Cheylus, Neoen’s Regional CEO for Australia Pacific.
“Goyder North is set to make a significant contribution to South Australia’s energy transition, creating hundreds of jobs and delivering lasting benefits for the Goyder community.”
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