First turbines start spinning at massive Queensland wind and battery project

The first bursts of renewable electricity are being sent to the grid from the Wambo wind farm in Queensland’s Western Downs region, as the process of energisation and commissioning gets underway at the huge project.

Joint venture developers Cubico Sustainable Investments and state-owned Stanwell Corporation said on Thursday that project’s principal contractor, Vestas, had kicked off the process of energisation and commissioning of the first group of six wind turbines on May 30.

The commissioning and testing process of the first turbines would take several months, the companies said, and once complete, would see around 36 megawatts (MW) of electricity flowing into the grid. The wind farm is expected to enter commercial operations late this year.

“It’s been over two years since construction started,” said Stanwell CEO Michael O’Rourke. “To get to this point and to see the first blades of the first turbines now spinning and producing renewable energy for the first time is an incredible moment.”

The 42 Vestas turbines being installed for the 252 MW stage one of the wind farm – construction started in June 2023 – are among the largest yet installed in Australia, at 247m. A second stage with 41 turbines and 254.2 MW will take the project to just over 500 MW.

Under the joint venture, Stanwell will own half of the renewable energy produced by the wind farm and buy the rest of the power from Cubico under a 15-year agreement. The project could include a 40MW/200MWh big battery.

“The Western Downs is one of the most significant renewable energy hubs in Queensland, and Wambo is a powerful part of that story,” O’Rourke said.

“Once stages 1 & 2 are complete, Wambo Wind Farm will produce enough electricity to power the equivalent of 312,000 homes, supporting our industrial and commercial customers and feeding energy into the National Electricity Market.”

Cubico country head of Australia, David Smith, gave a nod to Vestas for its role in delivering the Wambo milestone, as well as the workers, the local community and the Western Wakka Wakka and Barunggam people on whose traditional lands wind farm is being built.

“Their efforts in ensuring the preservation of cultural heritage across the project’s construction area and knowledge of the land were invaluable,” Smith said.

“We also want to acknowledge and thank our neighbours across our surrounding districts for their patience during the construction activity it has taken to get the project to this point.

“Renewable projects bring an incredible economic boost to regions like the Western Downs with Wambo and associated Powerlink connection works creating approximately 400 jobs during construction.”