Victoria’s newest wind farm, the 54MW Salt Creek wind project in western Victoria, was “energised” last week and has begun production to the grid.
Salt Creek is owned by the listed renewable energy development company Tilt Renewables, and comprises 15 Vestas turbines that are due to be in full production next month.
Meridian Australia will take half of the output from the wind farm at a fixed price for the rest of the year, and then all of the output for 12 years until the end of 2030.
That contract is part of a suite of arrangements put together by Meridian and its retail offshore PowerShop, which also includes a share of the output from the Kiamal solar farm in Victoria.
The remaining 50 per cent of the output – and renewable energy certificates – for the remaining six months of 2018 will be sold into the wholesale market, including through forward contracts.
About 15kms from Salt Creek, Tilt is also looking to build the 336MW Dundonnell wind farm, subject to the outcome of the Victorian Renewable Energy Auction Scheme, the result of which should be known sometime in July.
The $600 million Dundonnell would be more than six times bigger than Salt Creek, with some of the output bid into the Victorian government scheme and the rest for as yet unspecified customers.
Tilt also owns the biggest wind farm in South Australia – Snowtown – to which it plans to add a 45MW solar farm and 20MW of battery storage.
