MacIntyre Wind Farm

ACCIONA reached an agreement [nota de prensa] with CleanCo, the Queensland Government’s newest renewable energy generator, for it to become the independent owner and operator of a 100MW wind farm within the MacIntyre complex. In addition, CleanCo will acquire the annual production of 400MW from ACCIONA's facilities for ten years through a power purchase agreement (PPA).

The project is scheduled to begin construction in mid-2021, with a gradual start-up in phases to ensure connection to the grid for the state's electricity system, while optimizing the return on investment. Some 64 km of transmission lines will be laid to connect the wind complex to the grid. The entire MacIntyre complex is scheduled to be fully operational in 2024.

MacIntyre's 1,026MW capacity will generate clean electricity to power about 700,000 homes and avoid the emission of nearly 3 million tons of CO2 per year. By greening Queensland's electricity mix, the MacIntyre wind complex will help the state meet its decarbonisation commitments and climate change mitigation strategies. The scale of the MacIntyre project makes it one of the largest onshore wind farms in the world today.

The complex will consist of 180 Nordex Group’s Delta4000 turbines, each with a capacity of up to 5.7MW, which are the latest generation of turbines launched by the company in which ACCIONA is the main shareholder.

GENERAL INFORMATION

• Location: South-West of Warwick, Queensland, Australia
• Capacity: 1,026 MW.
• Wind turbine: Nordex Delta 4000-N163/5.7.
• Tower: -.
• Start-up: 2024
• Owner: ACCIONA (926 MW) and CleanCo (100 MW).

KEY POINTS

• Total investment of AU$1.96 billion (€1 billion).
• Consisting of 180 cutting-edge technology wind turbines.
• Enough clean energy to power about 700,000 homes.
• Boosting Queensland government's decarbonisation strategy.
• Scheduled to begin construction in 2021 and become fully operational in 2024.
• Nearly 3 million tons of CO2 avoided per year.
• Up to 400 jobs will be generated over the life of the project.
• Local spend during construction is expected to exceed AU$500 million.
• Sixth ACCIONA’s wind farm in Australia, which will bring its total owned capacity in the country up to 1,521 MW.