Queensland breaks ground on massive Wambo wind and battery project

Works have begun on what stands to be a 500MW wind farm and big battery in Queensland’s Western Downs region, with ground broken on the huge government-backed project northwest of Dalby this week.

Construction of the first 252MW stage of Wambo wind farm, a joint venture between Cubico Sustainable Investments and state-owned Stanwell Corporation, was officially launched on Thursday with energy minister Mick de Brenni in attendance.

The wind farm is backed by a $192.5 million investment from the Palaszczuk government’s Renewable Energy and Hydrogen Jobs Fund for Stanwell’s 50% share in the project, which may also include a 40MW/200MWh big battery.

The project’s 42 Vestas turbines will be some of the largest yet installed in Australia, at 247m tall, and state-owned network company Powerlink will build a new 50km line to connect the wind farm to the grid.

The Palaszczuk government says construction of the project, and its grid connection, should create around 450 jobs.

“Today marks another important step forward to Queensland’s renewable energy future … propelling us closer to our renewable energy target of 50 per cent renewable energy by 2030, and 80 per cent renewable energy by 2035,” said de Brenni.

“The power generated by the 42 wind turbines northwest of Dalby will be sent to the Queensland SuperGrid in 2025, to be connected to the state’s next pumped hydro at Borumba, west of the Sunshine Coast in 2032,” he said.

Cubico, which has been developing the Wambo project with Renewable Energy Partners since 2019 – says it is “incredibly excited” to get moving on construction, which was originally slated to begin in 2021.

“This is a real landmark in Queensland’s transition from coal to renewables,” said Cubico’s head of Australia, David Smith.

“Importantly, the project will play a significant role in supporting the Queensland government’s Energy and Jobs Plan, and we are proud to be at the forefront of providing a transition to renewables for energy workers.”

Stanwell CEO Michael O’Rourke says Wambo is part of a renewables pipeline the coal plant owner is building to the tune of 9-10 GW by 2035.

“Our growing pipeline means that we can expand our renewable offerings for our commercial and industrial customers and support the Palaszczuk government’s target of 80% renewable energy by 2035,” O’Rourke said.

“Today we have taken a significant step forward for Queensland’s renewable energy industry, and a major milestone in our journey to provide reliable, secure and affordable energy products for our commercial and industrial customers who want to power their businesses with clean renewable energy.”