Vestas secures turbine contract for next stage of Crookwell wind farm

Global wind giant Vestas has won the contract to supply and install the 16 turbines that will make up the 58MW Crookwell 3 wind farm, putting the New South Wales project on track to start generating power in late 2022.

In a statement on Tuesday, Vestas said it had been appointed by the wind farm’s owner, Global Power Generation subsidiary Naturgy Group, to install 16 V126-3.4MW wind turbines and to maintain them over a 15-year period.

The wind farm, which will be built in the Hume electorate of federal energy minister Angus Taylor, has not had an altogether easy passage, getting the green light in October last year after the NSW Land and Environment Court agreed to overturn a decision by NSW authorities to deny planning approval.

The NSW Land and Environment Court overturned the planning rejection initially issued by the NSW Independent Planning Commission, after a process of conciliation with the project’s developers that saw the number of turbines reduced from an initial 23 to 16.

The project will be located nearby to the 5MW Crookwell 1 project, which was the first wind farm to be established in New South Wales when commissioned in 1998 – also with Vestas turbines.

Global Power Generation has previously completed the 91MW Crookwell Stage 2 wind farm, the opening of which Taylor – a vocal anti-wind activist before he entered parliament – was unable to attend despite being the local member and minister for energy.

Vestas said delivery of the wind turbines for Crookwell 3 was expected to occur in the second quarter of 2022, with commissioning to commence in the fourth quarter of that year.

“Global Power Generation (Naturgy Group) is a globally valued customer to Vestas,” said head of Vestas Australia and New Zealand, Peter Cowling.

“We look forward to championing their ambitious vision of sustainability in Australia through the successful delivery of Crookwell 3 Wind Farm, and our remaining projects which are currently in progress”.