Turbine shut downs at Victoria wind farm part of “staged maintenance,” says Squadron

Squadron Energy has confirmed that a number of turbines at the 226 megawatt (MW) Murra Warra 1 wind farm in north-western Victoria are temporarily out of action, as part of “staged maintenance” to replace failed bearings.

A spokesperson for Squadron said on Wednesday that work on a bearing refurbishment program on around half of the turbines at Murra Warra started recently and is expected to be completed next year.

Squadron says the works are limited to 32 of the project’s 61 Senvion turbines, with 15 currently switched off to undergo maintenance – half of the number claimed in local media reports on Wednesday.

“The wind farm continues to generate power, with staged maintenance taking place to replace certain failed bearings, and a number of turbines have already returned to service,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

“Wind turbines are operational for 30 years or longer. As with a car or any other large complex machine, there is ongoing maintenance and some parts may warrant refurbishment.”

The Murra Warra wind farm – which totals 429 MW with the addition of the 209 MW stage 2 project – is a significant project for Victoria, delivering electricity under long-term contracts to Telstra, and a consortium of customers that includes ANZ, Coca Cola Amatil and the University of Melbourne, as well as Monash University.

Stage one of the Murra Warra project north of Horsham first started exporting electricity to the grid in early 2019, when it was under the ownership of Macquarie Group and renewable energy developer RES Australia.

Murra Warra 1 and 2 were acquired by Squadron Energy as part of the CWP Renewables sale by Partners Group.

The wind turbines for Murra Warra 1 were supplied by the now defunct German wind turbine manufacturer Senvion, which had put itself into administration by the time Murra Warra 1 started powering up.

By the end of 2019, Senvion had sold its European service fleet to Siemens Gamesa. Only the Indian division of the company – Senvion India – remains, after it was acquired by Saudi Arabian company, Alfanar, in 2021.

• In the case of the Murra Warra turbines, the German manufactured bearings are being transported to Melbourne for refurbishment at a specialised facility.

Squadron says the maintenance works do not affect any of the turbines at Murra Warra 2.