Replacement turbine blades on the way as huge wind farm held at half-way point of commissioning

The owner of one of the biggest wind projects in Australia says it needs to replace a damaged turbine and ship in replacement blades as it continues to battle through a drawn-out commissioning process.

The 923 megawatt MacIntrye wind project in south-western Queensland would be the biggest in the country had it been fully commissioned by now as originally scheduled.

But it has been battling through its commissioning process, with only half of the 163 turbines that will make up the facility now generating electricity.

In its latest monthly newsletter sent to stakeholders, project developer Acciona Energía says the MacIntyre wind farm now has 134 fully commissioned turbines, with 88 of these now generating up to around 445 megawatts (MW).

The commissioning process in Australia is generally lengthy and highly complex, and requires each facility to work through various “hold points” that limit capacity at certain levels until the market operator gives the all clear.

MacIntyre, located in the Southern Downs outside Warwick, had been neck-and-neck with Victoria’s 1,330 MW Golden Plains wind farm to take the title of the biggest operating wind farm in Australia.

MacIntyre first started sending power to the grid in October, 2024.

However, a turbine blade break at the huge project December that year slowed progress as Acciona and its turbine supplier Nordex worked to find a way to remove the affected blade, which had not detached, and then to identify the root cause of the problem and whether any other turbines were affected.

The first 776 MW first stage of the Golden Plains wind farm is now fully commissioned and operational, despite having suffered its own turbine blade problems and being the site of a devastating fatal accident in November 2024.

See: From Rhombus of Regret to on-time commissioning: Australia’s biggest wind farm finds blueprint for grid success

Acciona says it has completed detailed inspections of all turbine blades and kicked off a repair campaign that will include the replacement of the turbine.

“Additionally, some new components, including blades, will be transported to site through December and into early 2026,” the newsletter says.

“These components will use the same route as previous over-size, over-mass vehicles by travelling along the Warrego Highway, up the Toowoomba Bypass, along the Gore Highway and down the Millmerran Inglewood Road.

Renew Economy has reached out to the MacIntyre Wind project team to ask how many turbine blades are being replaced at the project and seeking more details on the findings of the inspections and progress through commissioning. The story will be updated with a response if and when it comes.

The MacIntyre wind complex was originally to be sized at more than 1,000 MW, but the state-owned CleanCo dropped a plan to build its own 103 MW wind component, citing connection issues and rising costs.

Still, Acciona has plant to double the size of the precint to more than 2 gigawatts over time, adding the Herries wind project to what it says will be known as the “Big Mac” facility.

The latest newsletter says that as well as finalising commissioning, the coming 12 months will see the project team work to rehabilitate construction impacts and transition to a fully operational wind farm.

Another major milestone for the project has been the opening of a new operations and maintenance building, that currently hosts more than 40 full-time team members recruited from across the region.

“A permanent team of staff will work onsite for the next 30 years, ensuring the wind farm continues to operate safely, efficiently and reliably,” the newsletter says.

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