GPG holds the Opening Ceremony of Berrybank 1 wind farm, postponed last year due to COVID-19 restrictions
March 11th, 2022 – Global Power Generation (GPG) today announced that the Berrybank 1 wind farm has held its Opening Ceremony, that was postponed several times last year due to lockdowns.
Victoria’s Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio, attended the Opening Ceremony for the wind farm in Berrybank, Victoria, along with members of Parliament, representatives of DELWP (Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning) and DJPR (Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions), representatives of the Corangamite and Golden Plains Councils, and members of the Community. Senior representatives from GPG and Vestas, and other partners of the project, such as, AEMO, TransGrid, AusNet, MPCK, RJE, Vision and the Consortium of Lenders supporting the finance during the operations phase, were also present during the event.
Shaq Mohajerani, Head of GPG Business Development APAC, said, “through the process of developing and constructing this project, GPG has made an important contribution to the local economy and helped building capabilities in Australia’s renewable energy industry. Looking forward, we are excited about the future of renewable energy in this country. GPG has accumulated extensive experience developing over 4GW of power generation projects in 9 countries across the world, and we are excited to bring this experience to Australia and play a positive role in the renewable energy transition”.
Minister D’Ambrosio congratulated Global Power Generation on delivering the Berrybank Wind Farm saying, “the project is a great step forward for Victoria’s clean energy transition.
“The Andrews Labor Government is thrilled to see large-scale renewable energy generators like Berrybank come online following our first Victorian Renewable Energy Target auction.”
The Berrybank 1 wind farm, located in Victoria, 150 kilometers west of Melbourne, is the second wind farm that GPG is operating in Australia, following the development of the 91 MW Crookwell 2 wind farm in New South Wales, which began commercial operations in November 2018.
Additional 26 wind turbines are currently under construction for the 109 MW Berrybank 2 wind farm, which is due to be completed in the second half of 2022. As part of the commitments associated to this project, GPG is also constructing a 10MW/20MWh BESS (Battery Energy Storage System) located in the Australian Capital Territory that will support energy distribution on the ACT electricity grid.
Berrybank 1 wind farm is comprised of 43 turbines with an installed capacity of 180MW, equivalent to the electricity to power 138,000 households. Awarded by the Victorian government in the VRET 2017 Reverse Auction, energy generated from the project will be subject to a 15-year regulated tariff and contribute towards the achievement of the Victorian Renewable Energy Targets.
The company has invested 284 million Australian dollars (approximately 185 million euros) in this project and has created 117 new jobs and retained a further 166 existing jobs during the construction phase. During operations, the wind farm will be supported by a team of local employees.
In addition to the considerable local employment opportunities created during the construction phase, the project also achieved the level of local content required by the Victorian government. Furthermore, the company invested more than 3 million Australian dollars in different local community initiatives under the Community Engagement and Benefit Sharing Plan, such as:
- Neighbour Benefit Program, through entering voluntary deeds with neighbours in an area of 2 km around the wind farm to compensate them for potential impacts
- Community Asset Program, to deliver projects through the Councils of Corangamite and Golden Plains Shires with benefits for the local community
- Solar Power Program, to install solar systems for low-income households and public buildings used by the local community
- Collaboration to support the Asia Pacific Renewable Energy Tech-Transition Centre (APRETCentre) promoted by the Federation University in Victoria
For further information, please visit our websites:
- Berrybank 1 wind farm: https://www.berrybankwindfarm.globalpower-generation.com.au/
- GPG Australia: http://www.globalpower-generation.com.au/
- GPG: http://www.globalpower-generation.com
Berrybank (Victoria, Australia), 11th March 2022