West Australia’s biggest wind farm energised, delivers first output

The biggest wind farm in Western Australia – the 212MW Yandin wind farm – has completed electrification and has delivered its first output to the state’s grid, known as the South West Integrated System (SWIS).

The Yandin Wind farm is a joint venture between Ratch Australia and Alinta Energy, and the investment is being managed by Alinta, and is located near the town of Dandaragan, about 175kms north of Perth.

The “electrification”, or connection to the Western Power network, through a new 330kV terminal and 10km transmission line, was revealed by contracting company Decmil, which had the $79 million contract to complete the civil and electrical design and construction, including wind turbine bases, access tracks, site cabling, switch room and substation.

The first 34 of the 51 4.2MW Vestas turbines have been installed, and a spokesman for Alinta told RenewEconomy that the first generation from the $400 million wind farm occurred on July 12. Production is planned to continue to ramp up until full production is reached later in the year.

The Yandin wind farm will not just be the biggest in the state, it will also be one of the most efficient and lowest cost in the country. It is expected to deliver an average capacity factor of around 50 per cent, and Alinta CEO Jeff Dimery told RenewEconomy’s Energy Insiders podcast last year that its cost will be well below $50/MWh.

“I can tell you that the levellised cost of energy coming out of that plant is in the mid to high 40s (per megawatt hour) before firming,” Dimery told the  Energy Insiders podcast.

See also: Stunning low costs inspire Alinta to ramp up renewables push, flag early coal exit