• Berrybank 1 wind farm is the second wind farm that GPG has completed and is operating in Australia. 
  • 180MW capacity wind farm to generate enough electricity to power 138,000 households. 
  • GPG invested 284 million Australian Dollars (approximately 185 million euros) in the 180MW wind farm.
  • 117 new jobs were created, and a further 166 existing jobs were retained during the construction phase, significantly higher than GPG’s local employment commitment.
  • GPG invested more than 3 million Australian dollars in local community initiatives during the construction phase.

17 November, 2021 – Global Power Generation (GPG), the international energy generation arm of Spain-based Naturgy Group (Naturgy), is pleased to announce that the Berrybank 1 wind farm commenced commercial operations in the second half of 2021.

Located 150 kilometres west of Melbourne, the wind farm is comprised of 43 turbines with a total installed capacity of 180 megawatts (MW). It is designed to generate approximately 644,000 megawatt hours of renewable electricity per year, enough electricity to power 138,000 Australian 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 invested 284 million Australian dollars (185 million euros) in the development of the Berrybank 1 wind farm. GPG 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 and monitored 24/7 from GPG’s control room in Canberra.

In addition to the considerable local employment opportunities created during the construction phase, the project also achieved the level of local content utilization required by the Victorian government. GPG also invested more than 3 million Australian dollars in different local community initiatives during the construction phase, under the Community Engagement and Benefit Sharing Plan. These include:

  • Neighbour Benefit Program – GPG entered deeds with neighbours in an area of 2 km around the wind farm to compensate them for potential impacts;
  • Community Asset Program – delivered projects in collaboration with the Corangamite and Golden Plains Shire Councils to deliver benefits to the local community;
  • Solar Power Program – installed solar systems for low-income households and public buildings used by the local community, and;
  • Support for the Asia Pacific Renewable Energy Tech-Transition Centre (APRETC) – GPG entered into a partnership with Federation University in Victoria to collaborate on the construction of the training centre that is part of the university’s plan to become the leading training and research partner for Australia’s renewable energy industry.

Francisco Bustio, CEO of GPG, said, “We are pleased to have commenced operations at the Berrybank 1 wind farm, which will contribute towards the achievement of Victoria’s Renewable Energy Targets. In addition to generating employment opportunities during the construction phase and in ongoing operations, this project will support the energy transition with sustainable, clean and renewable energy.” Mr. Bustio added, “With Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) already secured for a further 482 MW of wind farm projects and a 10MW/20MWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), GPG is committed to playing an important role in the development of the renewable energy industry in Australia.”

“The smooth development of the Berrybank 1 wind farm is testament to the exceptional collaboration between our staff, partners, and contractors,” said David Santo Tomás, Project Director, “We are committed to continued investments in renewable energy projects that will accelerate the energy transition, generate affordable and sustainable electricity, and create local employment opportunities.”

Bet on Australia

The Berrybank 1 is the second project 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.

The 109 MW Berrybank 2 wind farm with additional 26 wind turbines is being constructed and is due to be completed in the second half of 2022. As part of the commitments associated to this project, GPG has committed to install a 10MW/20MWh BESS (Battery Energy Storage System) located in the Australian Capital Territory that will support energy distribution on the ACT electricity grid.

GPG has already secured PPAs with corporate off-takers for three other wind farms projects: Ryan Corner (218 MW) and Hawkesdale (97MW), both located in Victoria, and Crookwell 3 (58 MW), located in New South Wales. Crookwell 3 is the sixth project developed by GPG in Australia and the third that is backed by a Corporate PPA. With Crookwell 3, GPG’s portfolio of wind farms with secured PPAs will increase to over 750MW.

About GPG and its parent company Naturgy Group

Global Power Generation (GPG) is the international energy generation arm of Spain-based Naturgy Group (Naturgy). GPG has accumulated extensive experience developing over 4GW of power generation projects in 9 countries across the world and currently employs around 520 people worldwide.

Naturgy Group, parent company of GPG, is a pioneering multinational group in gas and electricity integration, operating in more than 20 countries, with 16 million customers, and 9,335 employees, of which more than 50% work outside of Spain. As of 2020, the Group has an installed capacity of 15,333 MW, an EBITDA of 3,714 million euros and the value of its assets amounts to 39,545 million euros.

For further information on GPG, please visit https://www.globalpower-generation.com/

For further information on the Berrybank 1 wind farm, please visit https://www.berrybankwindfarm.globalpower-generation.com.au/