Delivery of the wind turbine generators for BayWa r.e.’s Diapur Wind Farm was successfully completed last week. The project will feature two state-of-the-art Vestas’ V150-4.0 MW wind turbines and provide up to 7.8 MW of clean energy.
The project’s deliveries included sections of steel towers for the 125m hub height wind turbines, nacelles which house the wind turbine generators, and 75m long blades. These components were delivered using trucks specially designed to transport long and heavy loads from Portland in Victoria.
Erection of the wind turbines is scheduled to commence in October with construction to be completed by November 2020. When completed, the turbines will stand 200m tall. The wind turbines will convert the kinetic energy of the wind into electrical energy and buy back the embedded energy used in manufacture and construction in less than six months of operation.
As part of the project, BayWa r.e. will engage Powercor to upgrade sections of the local distribution network.
The Diapur Wind Farm is one of four renewable energy projects BayWa r.e. has safely constructed through the Coronavirus pandemic, keeping many people in employment. Some forty-five people have been employed on the Diapur project alone during this period.
“Our sites are often in rural and remote communities”, says Fleur Yaxley, Managing Director of BayWa r.e. Projects Australia. “Our projects allow us to directly support local communities through employment and our daily contribution to small businesses, like restaurants and accommodation.”
“I look forward to sharing more news about our local community initiatives over the coming months. Through the Neighbours Renewable Energy Program, BayWa r.e. is offering financial support for the installation of rooftop solar panels to residents within 4km of the wind farm and we will contribute to a Diapur Wind Farm Community Fund, to support community directed initiatives in the area.”
With the objective to minimize the Coronaavirus’ spread the head contractor at Diapur, Vestas, has adhered to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) precautionary measures, along with Federal and State Government advice and regulations. Health and safety practices have included temperature checks upon site entry, social distancing, regular site cleans, the practicing of personal hygiene and the temporary pause of non-essential travel.
“The safety of our people, contractors and the communities in which we work is our number one priority. Thanks to the diligent health and safety practices embraced by BayWa r.e. and our contractors, we are proud to say that we have recorded zero Coronavirus cases across our Australian sites. This includes sites which are operating and under construction” added Fleur.
