Dundonnell Wind Farm

{{Use Australian English|date=September 2019}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}

{{infobox power station

| name = Dundonnell Wind Farm

| coordinates = {{Coord|37|52|S|142|58|E|type:landmark|display=inline,title}}

| country = Australia

| location = Mortlake

| status = O

| construction_began = January 2019

| commissioned = March 2020

| owner = Tilt Renewables

| wind_farm_type = Onshore

| wind_hub_height = 114 metres

| wind_rotor_diameter = 150 metres

| ps_units_operational = 80 × 4.2 MW

| ps_units_manu_model = Vestas V150-4.2MW

| ps_electrical_capacity = 336

}}

Dundonnell Wind Farm is at Dundonnell, {{convert|23|km}} northeast of Mortlake in the Australian state of Victoria. Construction began in January 2019 and was completed in 2020 with 80 Vestas wind turbines with a capacity to generate 336MW of electricity.{{Cite web|date=14 November 2018|title=Vestas wins largest project in Victoria’s Renewable Energy Auction with the first V150-4.2MW turbines in Australia|url=https://ml-eu.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/0dd2626a-c362-4421-bb45-d47295d6c08a|url-status=live|access-date=19 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019041139/https://ml-eu.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/0dd2626a-c362-4421-bb45-d47295d6c08a |archive-date=19 October 2021 }} The drive trains and hubs were assembled at the former Ford Australia site in Geelong.{{cite news |url=https://reneweconomy.com.au/vestas-wind-turbine-assembly-plant-opens-at-old-ford-factory-in-victoria-20839/ |title=Vestas wind turbine assembly plant opens at old Ford factory in Victoria |first=Sophie |last=Vorrath |date=26 September 2019 |access-date=30 September 2019 |newspaper=Renew Economy}}

The wind farm has contracts to supply 37% of its output to the government of Victoria and 50% to Snowy Hydro. It is being developed by Tilt Renewables.{{cite news |url=https://reneweconomy.com.au/construction-begins-on-336mw-dundonnell-wind-farm-one-of-biggest-in-victoria-91071/ |title=Construction begins on 336MW Dundonnell wind farm – one of biggest in Victoria |first=Sophie |last=Vorrath |date=18 January 2019 |access-date=30 September 2019 |newspaper=Renew Economy}} The wind farm connects to the grid via 38 kilometres of 220kV overhead transmission line to a substation near the Mortlake Power Station.{{cite news |url=https://www.standard.net.au/story/5851218/work-begins-on-big-dundonnell-wind-farm-near-mortlake/ |newspaper=The Standard |date=17 January 2019 |title=Work begins on 80-turbine Dundonnell wind farm |first=Everard |last=Himmelreich |access-date=30 September 2019 |publisher=Australian Community Media}}

A 327 tonne transformer transported at night took four nights to reach Dundonnell from Glen Waverley in eastern Melbourne in August 2019.{{cite news |url=https://7news.com.au/news/traffic/superload-to-hit-the-road-and-cause-traffic-delays-across-melbourne-c-387354 |title=Superload to hit the road and cause traffic delays across Melbourne |first=Lucy Mae |last=Beers |work=7NEWS |date=12 August 2019 |access-date=7 November 2019}} It was manufactured there by the Wilson Transformer Company.{{cite news |url=https://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/east/superload-made-in-glen-waverley-by-wilson-transformer-company-hits-the-road/news-story/9c8454095d1e04e6ad5bf03dda165294 |newspaper=Herald Sun |title=Superload made in Glen Waverley by Wilson Transformer Company hits the road |first=Geordie |last=Cowan |date=8 August 2019 |access-date=7 November 2019}} The developer spent $80 million to connect the wind farm to the main 500 kV grid via a 38 km 220 kV Ausnet line, avoiding the connection problems many other generating stations have in the interior.{{cite web |last1=Parkinson |first1=Giles |title=Huge Dundonnell wind farm begins production in Victoria |url=https://reneweconomy.com.au/huge-dundonnell-wind-farm-begins-production-in-victoria-34307/ |website=RenewEconomy |language=en-AU |date=17 March 2020 }} Full commissioning was delayed in mid-2020 due to concerns of the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), despite it being commissioned according to a plan negotiated with AEMO in 2018.{{cite news |url=https://reneweconomy.com.au/huge-dundonnell-wind-farm-hit-by-unanticipated-commissioning-delays-33465/ |title=Huge Dundonnell wind farm hit by "unanticipated" commissioning delays |first=Sophie |last=Vorrath |date=13 July 2020 |newspaper=Renew Economy |access-date=11 August 2020}}