First of Australia’s tallest turbines go up at wind farm co-owned by Queensland coal giant

The first turbine tower is on its way up at the massive Wambo wind farm in Queensland’s Western Downs, marking a significant milestone for the state-backed project that will top 500 megawatts (MW) once both stages are complete.

The 42 Vestas turbines being installed for the first 252 MW stage of the project will be the tallest yet in Australia, with a tip height of 247 metres – 17 metres taller than what is believed to be the current record holders at the Dulacca wind farm, also in Queensland.

The huge project, which may also include a 40 MW/200 MWh big battery, is jointly owned by Cubico Sustainable Investments and state-owned Stanwell Corporation, whose 50 per cent stake was backed by $192.5 million from the former state Labor government’s Renewable Energy and Hydrogen Jobs Fund.

Cubico and Stanwell confirmed in February that a second stage of the project would add another 254.2 MW of wind generation capacity, taking the project’s total to more than 500 MW.

Image source: Wambo Wind Farm Facebook

The erection of the first of the wind farm’s very tall turbines was marked on social media on Thursday by Renewable Energy Partners, which has been developing the project with Cubico since 2019.

“Big milestone for Wambo, with the erection of the first of the 42 wind turbines for Stage 1. A 6 year journey to get to this point,” said REP co-founder and managing director Luke McDonald on LinkedIn.

“Milestone moment!!” A separate post said on Facebook. “When complete, these wind turbines will be the largest in operation across the country, standing at 247 metres tall, and will supply more than 500 megawatts of renewable energy.”