Mount Emerald Wind Farm

{{Short description|Wind farm on Mount Emerald, Queensland, Australia}}

{{Infobox power station

| name = Mount Emerald Wind Farm

| name_official =

| image = Mount Emerald Wind Farm Logo.png

| image_size = 200px

| image_caption =

| image_alt =

| coordinates = {{coord|17|11|S|145|22|E|region:AU_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}

| country = Australia

| location =

| status = O

| construction_began = {{start date and age|2017|02|14|df=y}}

| commissioned = {{start date and age|2018|08}}

| decommissioned =

| cost = $400 million

| owner =

| operator = RATCH-Australia

| employees =

| ps_units_operational = 16 × 3.3 MW
37 × 3.45 MW

| ps_units_manu_model = Vestas V112-3.3MW

Vestas V117-3.45MW

| wind_hub_height = {{Convert|84|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} Vestas V112
{{Convert|90|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} Vestas V117

| wind_rotor_diameter = {{Convert|112|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
{{Convert|117|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}

| wind_rated_speed = {{Convert|50|km/h|m/s|1|abbr=on}}

| wind_farm_type = Onshore

| ps_site_elevation = {{Convert|900|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}

| wind_site_usage = Farm Land

| ps_site_area = {{Convert|2400|ha|km2|0|abbr=on}}

| ps_electrical_capacity = 180.5 MW

| ps_electrical_cap_fac =

| ps_annual_generation = 500-600 GWh

| website = {{URL|http://mtemeraldwindfarm.com.au}}

| extra =

}}

Mount Emerald Wind Farm is a 180 MW wind farm situated on Mount Emerald, in Arriga, Shire of Mareeba, Queensland, Australia.{{Cite web|title=MT EMERALD WIND FARMREVISED A-WEIGHTED NOISE ASSESSMENT|url=http://mtemeraldwindfarm.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/6-Noise-Assessment-Report-January-2017.pdf}} It is approximately 8 km WNW of Tolga, and 49 km SW of Cairns. The project is a joint venture between Port Bajool (land owner) and RATCH-Australia (wind farm developer and operator). RATCH-Australia bought the project from Transfield Services in July 2011.{{cite web|title=Mount Emerald Newsletter 3|url=http://www.windfarms.net.au/pdf/Mount_Emerald_Newsletter_3.pdf|publisher=RATCH-Australia|accessdate=30 January 2012|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130409214226/http://windfarms.net.au/pdf/Mount_Emerald_Newsletter_3.pdf|archivedate=9 April 2013|df=dmy-all}} The wind farm incorporates 53 turbines.{{cite news |last=Sexton-McGrath |first=Kristy |date=27 January 2022 |title=Fears of 'giant ring of steel' in Far North Queensland with wind farms set to border national parks |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-27/wind-turbines-for-atherton-tablelands-farm-arrive-in-cairns/100786196 |work=ABC News |access-date=16 October 2023}}

Construction

Approval from the state government came in April 2015. Federal government approval happened in November 2015, subject to 35 conditions aimed at protecting native species.{{cite news |last1=Kim |first1=Sharnie |last2=Sharon |first2=Molloy |date=27 November 2015 |title=Mt Emerald wind farm proposed for Atherton Tablelands gets conditional Federal approval |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-11-27/mt-emerald-wind-farm-gets-federal-approval/6980906 |work=ABC News |access-date=16 October 2023}}

The site was formerly used as a military training area in World War II so the site had to be carefully inspected to find any unexpoded ordnance; several were found and safely destroyed.{{Cite web |title=Where the wild wind blows … on the job at the Mount Emerald Wind Farm {{!}} |url=https://www.ecogeneration.com.au/where-the-wild-wind-blows-on-the-job-at-the-mount-emerald-wind-farm/ |access-date=2022-11-26 |website=EcoGeneration|date=29 January 2018 }}

Operations

The wind farm registered its first grid output in August 2018 and reached maximum output in January 2019. The electricity network around the wind farm is generally constrained; this has an impact on the total amount of electricity it can receive from the wind farm. Studies are being undertaken to increase the capacity of the network using technologies such as synchronous condensers and grid-scale batteries.{{Cite web |last=Lee |first=Dan |date=2022-06-30 |title=On the fringes: the outer edges of the NEM remain the most prone to volatile MLFs |url=https://wattclarity.com.au/articles/2022/06/on-the-fringes-the-outer-edges-of-the-nem-remain-the-most-prone-to-volatile-mlfs/ |access-date=2022-11-26 |website=WattClarity |language=en-AU}}{{Cite web |title=Network Planning: North Queensland System Strength Constraints |url=https://aemo.com.au/-/media/files/electricity/nem/security_and_reliability/congestion-information/nqld-system-strength-constraints.pdf |access-date=26 November 2022 |website=Powerlink Queensland}}

class="wikitable"

|+Mount Emerald Wind Farm Generation (MWh)

!Year

!Total

!Jan

!Feb

!Mar

!Apr

!May

!Jun

!Jul

!Aug

!Sep

!Oct

!Nov

!Dec

2018

|114,356

|N/A

|2,239

|27,237

|19,132

|30,535

|35,213

2019

|455,639

|39,124

|21,108

|33,043

|62,106

|53,452

|45,636

|33,884

|45,804

|40,882

|33,083

|26,186

|21,331

2020

|348,260

|20,204

|10,891

|36,588

|38,551

|48,914

|56,223

|17,879

|14,075

|33,172

|15,113

|37,952

|18,698

2021

|28,953

|14,298

|36,514

|43,141

|52,500

|30,136

|32,432

|63,443

|59,085

|20,474

|25,138

|32,015

2022

|21,812

|23,242

|26,568

|50,452

|29,027

|53,770

|40,093

|51,827

|37,556

|35,440

|27,244

|26,171

2023

|18,820

|28,533

|23,251

|32,791

|58,862

|43,962

|54,560

|56,183

|61,325

Environmental impact

Environmental groups have claimed that the construction of roads and bases for the wind turbines caused significant destruction of the formerly untouched wilderness.{{Cite news |date=11 December 2021 |title='This is utter madness': The massive wind farms angering fans of renewable energy |newspaper=ABC News |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-12/queensland-wind-farms-clearing-bushland/100683198}}

Photo gallery

File:Mount Emerald Wind Farm Turbines.jpg|Multiple Wind turbines

File:Mount Emerald Wind Farm Substation.jpg|Mount Emerald Wind Farm Substation construction

File:Mount Emerald Wind Farm entry.jpg|Mount Emerald Wind Farm entry

File:Mount Emerald Wind Farm Opening Plaque.jpg|Mount Emerald Wind Farm Opening Plaque

File:Mount Emerald wind farm turbine and moon.jpg|Mount Emerald wind farm turbine and moon

References

External links

[https://onesearch.slq.qld.gov.au/permalink/61SLQ_INST/tqqf2h/alma99184009583502061 Mount Emerald wind farm photographs], State Library of Queensland

Category:Wind farms in Queensland

Category:Buildings and structures in Far North Queensland

Category:Energy infrastructure completed in 2018

Category:2018 establishments in Australia

Category:Shire of Mareeba