The site

The Cathedral Rocks Wind Farm is a joint venture project between Acciona Energy and Roaring 40s. It is on private farming land near the southern tip of the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. The site covers an area of about 29 sq km, including a coastline of nearly 11 km.

Technology

The wind farm consists of 33 2 MW Vestas V80 wind turbines. The generating units on the wind turbines were assembled in Vestas’ Tasmanian factory. Each turbine is 100 metres high from the tip of the blade to the ground. The blades, which are made from carbon fibre and fibre glass resin material, have a diameter of 40 metres. The nacelle rotates, via a yaw mechanism, so that it always points into the wind. The wind farm can be monitored remotely via a fibre-optic network which receives real time information from the wind farm. The wind farm began to produce energy in September 2005, and was fully commissioned in January 2007.

Energy purchase and supply

Cathedral Rocks is expected to produce approximately 225,000 MWh of electricity per annum. Power generated from the project is sold to TRUenergy under a long term power purchase agreement. The wind farm is registered as a market non-scheduled generator and is an accredited generator under the Mandatory Renewable Energy Target and the Green Power Scheme. It is connected to the Electranet grid via the Port Lincoln switchyard and a newly constructed 30 km 132 kV transmission line.

Environmental impact

The Cathedral Rocks Wind Farm helps South Australia meet its commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by displacing up to a quarter of a million tonnes of CO2 per year by generating electricity from a world class wind resource – equivalent to removing 58,000 cars from the road. To minimise environmental impacts, such as collisions with birds flying around the cliff edge, the turbines are set back from the coastal cliffs and are widely spaced.

Success of the project to date

Through local sourcing of construction materials and subcontractors the project contributed to the local economy. Suppliers were sourced locally and within South Australia where possible. Community consultation has been an important part of the project’s success. The results of a social survey taken at public information sessions indicated an extremely high level of local support for the project: 92 per cent of those surveyed were “very much” in favour and 8 per cent were “somewhat in favour” of the wind farm. Acciona and Roaring 40s support local sporting and community events and have also assisted community groups and schools.

Benefits of the project

“The Cathedral Rocks Wind Farm on the Southern Eyre Peninsula brings long-term economic and environmental benefit to a region where significant growth is occurring. The project is an excellent example of specifically located electricity generation of this type for regional Australia where remoteness from main grid systems is a real cost issue. Cathedral Rocks is an essential addition to the 21st Century infrastructure of our region and a much-valued investment in our future.” Barry Wakelin MP, Federal Member for Grey