THE state’s largest renewable energy project, located near Merredin, has passed a major milestone with Western Power completing a $20 million project to connect the wind farm to the grid.
The $750 million Collgar Wind Farm is the largest wind farm in the Southern Hemisphere and is expected to generate enough electricity to power more than 120,000 homes.
Western Power Managing Director Doug Aberle said the connection was a significant project.
“The project involved the construction of a purpose-built substation and other infrastructure to provide connection including cutting in to the Merredin-Yilgarn transmission line,” he said.
“Western Power cut into the 220,000-volt transmission line which carries power between Kalgoorlie and Perth and connecting it to a substation built on the wind farm.
“Merredin, Kalgoorlie and other affected towns had alternative power routes arranged during the five-day cut-in so no interruptions in power were experienced.
Collgar is jointly owned by banking group UBS’s International Infrastructure Fund and Australia’s largest super fund by members, Retail Employees Superannuation Trust.
Perth entrepreneur and Navitas founder Rod Jones has backed another power project at Merredin.
He is the major supporter of Merredin Energy, which plans to build an 82-megawatt diesel-fired peaking power station, at a cost of $90 million.