Acciona Energía has achieved the first power from the 923MW MacIntyre onshore wind farm in Queensland, Australia, following the connection of the initial 27 turbines to the grid.
Currently, these turbines contribute a total installed and operational capacity of 154MW. The Australian onshore wind farm is expected to gradually reach its full capacity over the next 12 months.
Acciona Energía managing director Brett Wickham said: “Today marks a significant milestone for Australia’s diversification of its energy sources with the southern hemisphere’s largest operating wind farm now generating renewable energy.
“When the MacIntyre Wind Farm is fully operational, it will generate enough renewable energy to power more than 600,000 homes and double Queensland’s wind energy generation.”
Built in the Southern Downs outside Warwick, the Macintyre wind farm is a joint venture (JV) between Acciona Energía and Ark Energy, a subsidiary of Korea Zinc. Ark Energy owns a stake of 30% in the project.
The onshore wind facility is part of the 2GW MacIntyre Wind Precinct that includes the MacIntyre wind farm and the proposed Herries Range wind farm, which is in late-stage development.
Following its completion, the MacIntyre wind farm, which is being developed in stages, is said to become the largest in the southern hemisphere. The project is scheduled to be fully operational in Q3 2025.
The MacIntyre wind farm will feature162 Delta4000 turbines, each with a capacity of 5.7MW. The clean energy generated by the onshore facility will be supplied under power purchase agreements (PPAs) with Queensland’s publicly owned energy generator Stanwell and public electricity company CleanCo.
According to Acciona Energía, the renewable energy from the Australian onshore wind facility will support the decarbonisation of large businesses, as well as the infrastructure, resources, retail, and transport sectors.
The construction of the onshore wind facility has so far created hundreds of jobs, with an average of 400 to 500 workers employed during the construction phase and over 1,000 at its peak.
