The Minister was briefed on the progress being made at the site, and shown various components that form the turbines. She also took the time to meet with staff, subcontractors and local landowners.
ACCIONA Energy Australia Managing Director Brett Wickham said: “We were delighted to host Minister D’Ambrosio today. She is a strong advocate for the renewables sector, and it’s great to see that Victoria is powering ahead with its transition to cleaner forms of energy.”
ACCIONA is currently erecting several turbines at the site. Four are already complete with blades, 13 are complete to the nacelle, and other towers are going up at a rate of two to three per week. There will be a total of 44 turbines at the conclusion of the erection process.
After each tower is erected a separate crew adds the final 26-metre top section and the nacelle, which houses the gear box, drive train and generator. The final steps involve attaching the hub to the nacelle, and then the three 62-metre blades to the hub.
Other construction activities are also progressing well. The substation’s main power transformers have been assembled, electrical cable installation is on track, and a control building will arrive in February.
Mt Gellibrand is scheduled for commissioning in April, and due to commence operations in mid-2018. Once in service, it will produce around 429 gigawatt-hours (GWh) a year, equivalent to the electricity consumption of around 60,000 homes and avoiding the emission of some 412,000 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere from coal-fired power stations.