News Headlines

22 .06.09

Aboriginal Smoking Ceremony at the Waubra Wind Farm

ACCIONA Energy and the Ballarat & District Aboriginal Co-operative Limited recently held an aboriginal smoking ceremony at an archaeological dig site at the Waubra Wind Farm where indigenous artefacts were discovered prior to construction of the wind farm. A smoking ceremony is an ancient custom among indigenous Australians that involves smoldering native plants to produce smoke which has both spiritual significance and cleansing properties.

A plaque now sits on top of the hill, to mark the discovery, and to remind future generations of its indigenous heritage.

25.02.09 Waubra North wind farm proposal

ACCIONA Energy is considering a new wind farm development at Waubra North; 8km north east of Waubra and 9km west of Clunes. The proposed area is closest to Evansford and is located on the boundary between the Hepburn Shire and Pyrenees Shire. The proposed wind farm is at the very early stages of planning and geographical perimeters are yet to be confirmed.

Preliminary investigations indicate that the proposed Waubra North site area has a quality wind resource and with the Waubra project having been such a success to date, ACCIONA Energy are keen to further investigate the site.

A great deal of work will be undertaken during 2009 to develop the Waubra North proposal including technical studies to review the area of interest, identify constraints and to model a possible wind farm layout design.

ACCIONA Energy has an established track record developing world scale wind farms – including the Waubra Wind Farm which is presently in its final construction stages.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE NORTH WAUBRA PROPOSAL

15.01.09

Commissioning and energization

The Waubra Wind Farm has begun the commissioning phase of the project. The purpose of commissioning is to energise the wind farm and make it operational in a safe and controlled manner. This will involve thorough testing of all equipment, infrastructure and systems prior to energisation. There are now protocols in place regarding access to the Wind Farm by employees and landholders. In the interest of public safety, ACCIONA Energy stresses the need for all non-Wind Farm persons to remain on public roads and remain clear of private property including Wind Farm infrastructure.

Please note; only authorised persons may enter any Wind Farm infrastructure.

05.01.09

Aviation Safety Lights at the Waubra Wind Farm

You may have also noticed prior to Christmas that the Company installed aviation safety lights onto six, strategically selected wind turbines. The purpose of these temporary lights is to mark the boundary of the Wind Farm as a safety measure for aviation traffic prior to energisation.

The lighting plans requirements are based on the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) guidelines for wind farms and are required for turbines over 110 metres.

Once the Wind Farm is fully commissioned there will be 48 permanent pairs of lights (two on each selected turbine) installed around the Waubra Wind Farm. The lights will be; red flashing medium intensity; synchronized, so that all safety lights flash simultaneously; and have a ‘flash character’ of 20 flashes per minute.

12.11.08

Wind Farm Construction Progressing

The Waubra Wind Farm construction is progressing well with sixty five turbines erected and pre-commissioning of substations well underway. Construction Manager Bruce Payne said the progress by the turbine erection crews operating the two new main cranes is improving as the weather becomes more favourable.

The electrical contractor Downer EDI is now undertaking the clean up stage, following finalisation of electrical construction. Finalising the electrical work is a significant milestone in the scope of the project. Final commissioning of the turbines and substations is expected to commence late January 2009; this will trigger the first export of green power into the grid.

15.11.08

Origin Energy Partnership with ACCIONA Energy

ACCIONA Energy is delighted to announce the recent signing of a long term power purchase agreement with Origin Energy under which Origin Energy will buy all of the electricity and green products generated from the Waubra Wind Farm. Brett Thomas, Group Managing Director, ACCIONA said “Origin, as one of the largest energy retailers in the country, has a strong track record in supporting and promoting renewable energy and will be a valuable partner for the project.” This agreement will provide revenues to ACCIONA Energy’s Australian business which will underpin the ongoing Waubra project operations.

27.02.08

First turbines up

Turbine installation works at the Waubra Wind Farm site are progressing well. On Saturday 19 January, the first turbine installation was completed. The progress of turbine installations highly depends on weather conditions. ACCIONA Energy plans to complete the installation of all 128 wind turbines by the end of this year, depending on the right weather conditions to safely lift the heavy equipment. more

10.12.07

Acciona Energy awards $50 million supply contract for wind turbine towers to regional Victorian company

ACCIONA Energy today announced that it has awarded a contract of approximately $50 million for the supply and erection of wind turbine towers for the Waubra Wind Farm to Victorian based company Keppel Prince Engineering. more

08.10.07

Waubra Wind Farm well underway

The civil construction works that started in November last year are now almost complete for all 128 wind turbines. The next steps in building the wind farm are electrical works, installing the wind turbines and commissioning the wind turbines. more

14.09.07

Waubra students learn about their local wind farm

On Thursday 13 September 55 primary school students of the Waubra School participated in educational activities to learn about sustainable energy and their local wind farm. Acciona Energy supported this educational activity as part of its community relations program. more

27.07.07

Acciona Energy is proud to support the local community

Mr Brett Thomas, Managing Director said “We are pleased to be working together with the local community to create real benefits of employment and an active local economy. The Waubra wind farm will be a world class wind energy facility and it is great that local and regional businesses are involved in its construction. We are also proud to support community projects as we continue to move through construction”. more

22.05.07

First meeting of the Community Reference Group

ACCIONA Energy recently set up a Community Reference Group (CRG) as a focal point for communication with the community during the construction period of the Waubra Wind Farm. The CRG has now been established as a forum to meet regularly with the Acciona Energy construction team. A positive first meeting was held on 17 April at the Waubra Recreation Centre. more

23.02.07

Call for Expressions of Interest for Community Reference Group

ACCIONA Energy intends to form a Community Reference Group (CRG) for the construction phase of the Waubra Wind Farm. The purpose of the CRG is to provide a regular forum for community input to the project and to facilitate communication between members of the Waubra community and the wind farm project team.

We are now calling for Expressions of Interest (EoI) from members of the community. more

26.11.06

On Site Construction Begins

ACCIONA Energy has started building the Waubra Wind Farm in Victoria, the largest of the 154 wind farms that the company has installed across the world. more

smoke3

Above: Aboriginal smoking ceremony at Waubra.

Click here for news about the Waubra North Wind Farm proposal.

Community Newsletters

The Waubra Newsletter provides information updates on the Waubra Wind Farm Project. It will be produced on a regular basis. Copies of the newsletter can be downloaded here.