First foundations laid at Tasmania’s Granville Harbour wind farm

A 112MW Tasmanian wind farm that will deliver a one-third increase to the state’s wind power capacity has poured the first concrete foundation for the first of its 31 Vestas turbines, edging the project nearer to completion.

The $280 million project is being developed by Palisade Investment Partners on a cattle farm on Tasmania’s west coast, where it will tap that region’s famous roaring forties winds, which blow in from the Southern Ocean.

Project director Lyndon Frearson told local paper the Burnie Advocate that the laying of the first foundation – using 680 cubic metres of concrete – was a “major milestone for the project,” on which construction began in April.

Frearson also noted that the wind turbine towers – at 137 metres tall – were taller than originally planned for site, in a bid to protect local bird-life.

“The hub sits higher off the ground. It means that lowest tip of blades is above the height of the trees…birds looking in the trees for food are less likely to have any conflict with the wind farm,” he said.

The wind farm reached financial close in July last year, after a $59 million investment from the Clean Energy Finance Corporation.

As we reported at the time, the project was initially developed by Westcoast Wind, which was bought out by Palisade in February 2018, some months after the two companies negotiated a long-term PPA for the wind farm’s output with Hydro Tasmania.

Hydro Tasmania says Granville Harbour will contribute to its plans to double the Apple Isle’s renewable energy capacity and make it the Battery of the Nation.

The wind farm will be connected to the Tasmanian grid via a new 11km transmission line that will join up to a connection point at the existing Reece Dam.

According to the Advocate, 90 per cent of transmission line poles have already been installed, the switchyard built and an 85-tonne transformer delivered to the site.

Commercial operations are scheduled to commence in Q4, 2019.