The Moorabool wind farm is a 321MW onshore wind farm under construction approximately 5km south of Ballan, Victoria, Australia.
The wind farm is being developed by Goldwind Australia, a subsidiary of the Chinese wind turbine manufacturer Goldwind.
Construction on the Moorabool wind project started in July 2018, while commercial operations are expected to begin in 2019.
The 321MW wind farm is expected to produce approximately 1TWh of electricity a year, which is enough to power approximately 200,000 households.
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Moorabool wind farm development history
Westwind Energy initially undertook the Moorabool wind project development by conducting site investigations in 2007. The Victorian Minister for Planning granted approval for the wind farm in October 2010.
Westwind Energy sold the greenfield project to Goldwind Australia in September 2016.
Moorabool wind farm make-up
Stretching 14km in a north-to-south direction between Ballan and Mount Wallace, the Moorabool wind farm is being developed in two sections - north and south. It will be equipped with 107 Goldwind turbines of 3MW rated capacity each.
The northern section or the Bungeeltap section will consist of 50 turbines, whereas the southern section or the Ballpark section will be developed with 57 turbines.
Both Moorabool North and South wind farms will have one onsite substation each.
Moorabool wind farm turbine specifications
The GW 136 3.S turbine selected for the Moorabool wind farm will have a blade tip height of 171m and a hub height of 100m.
With 136m-diameter rotor and 68.2m-long blades, each direct-drive, three-bladed turbines will have a swept area of 14,690m².
Each blade of the turbine weighs 20,000kg, while the turbine’ nacelle is 10.1m-long and weighs 42,000kg, and the generator is 5.7m-long and weighs 89,000kg. The total turbine weight is 590 tonnes (t).
The 3MW turbines are designed to operate at wind speeds ranging between 2.5m/s and 20m/s.
Energy transmission
The electricity generated from the Moorabool North and South wind farms will be fed into the National Electricity Grid through a 30km-long 132kV double-circuit overhead transmission line connecting the existing Elaine terminal substation near the Elaine township. The construction of the transmission line started in May 2018.
The Elaine terminal substation is being upgraded for grid-connection of the Moorabool wind farm.
The Moorabool North and South wind farms will be connected through a 132kV single-circuit overhead transmission line.
Key players involved with the Moorabool wind farm project
Goldwind Australia is the owner, developer, as well as the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor for the Moorabool wind farm.
The company will also be responsible for the operations and maintenance of the wind farm.
Goldwind Australia signed an agreement with Australia Energy Operations to connect the wind farm with the national grid, in April 2018.
BEON Energy Solutions was sub-contracted by Australia Energy Operations, in April 2018, for the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of the transmission infrastructure of the wind farm.
Zenviron was awarded two separate balance-of-plant (BOP) contracts for the northern and southern sections of the Moorabool wind farm in April and October 2018, respectively.
The combined value of the two contracts is approximately $130m.