Parts for biggest wind turbine arrive at NSW port, headed for Bango project

The first shipment of super-sized General Electric wind turbine components destined for the 224MW Bango wind farm, which is in the early stages of construction in the New South Wales Southern Tablelands, have arrived at Port Kembla.

NSW Ports said the wind turbine components had arrived this week, the first of many to be imported through Port Kembla over the next six months for the 46-turbine project.

Bango is being developed by Australian outfit CWP Renewables around 30km north of Yass. The project was last year reported to be the first in the world to use General Electric’s Cypress 5.3MW turbines, which rank amongst the largest onshore wind turbines currently in production, and is believed to be the biggest to be installed so far in Australia.

As you can see in the graphic below, the turbines will have a hub height of 121 metres, and a blade length of 79 metres, meaning the maximum height of the turbines will reach 200 metres.

For CWP Renewables, the wind farm is the third for the company in NSW, in partnership with global investment management firm Partners Group, including the completed 270MW Sapphire Wind Farm and the under-construction 135MW Crudine Ridge wind farm.

CWP is also leading the huge Asia Renewable Energy Hub consortium in the Pilbara region of W.A. which is looking at building 15GW of wind and solar capacity to support local industry and to export to Asia either as “green hydrogen” or possibly through a sub-sea cable.

NSW Ports said the Bango wind turbine components would be stored on berth at the AAT facility before being transported by truck to the project site, ready for assembly.

“We are proud to work with our partners in the supply chain to support these important renewable energy projects for our state,” said NSW Ports CEO Marika Calfas in a statement.

“With the addition of the Bango wind turbines, Port Kembla will have helped facilitate the import of 274 wind turbines for nine wind farms in NSW.

“This important trade is only possible because of the work of stevedores and specialist heavy haul logistics providers, who have the complex task of discharging the oversized cargo from the vessel and transporting them to the wind farms across regional New South Wales,” Calfas said.

The Bango wind farm Facebook page said the wind turbine parts would be following the below route, and would be travelling mostly in the morning, and returning unloaded from midday onwards – before or after school buses were on the road.