ACCIONA Energia to expand $4 billion Macintyre Wind Precinct to create one of the world’s largest wind farms

The company building Australia’s largest wind farm west of Warwick has released plans to double the capacity of one section at the massive clean energy precinct. Take a look here.

ACCIONA Energy has announced it will double the capacity of the Herries Range Wind Farm at the Macintyre Wind Precinct making Australia’s largest wind farm even bigger.

Capacity at the Herries Range Wind Farm will double from 1000 megawatts to 2000 megawatts.

“Today we’re proud to announce that we have commenced development activities for the Herries Range Wind Farm to add an additional thousand megawatts of renewable energy to Queensland’s energy mix,” ACCIONA Energía’s Managing Director in Australia Brett Wickham.

“With this project we expect to dramatically accelerate the decarbonisation of Queensland’s electricity grid.”

The pour of the first concrete wind turbine foundation for MacIntyre Wind Farm this month.

The Macintyre Wind Precinct is located about 60km west of Warwick and when complete will be the largest wind farm in the southern hemisphere.

It will cost about $4 billion to build and will power 1.4 million homes through a total of 360 turbines across three wind farms at Karara, MacIntyre and Harries Range.

Of the three Herries Range is the largest.

Construction has started at ACCIONA's $4 billion MacIntyre Wind Precinct in Queensland

Deputy Premier Steven Miles said the 180-turbine Herries Range project would support up to 600 additional jobs during construction.

“The first two wind farms within the MacIntyre Wind Precinct – ACCIONA Energia’s 162-turbine MacIntyre Wind Farm and publicly owned CleanCo’s proposed 18-turbine Karara Wind Farm – were already expected to support 400 construction jobs,” he said.

A further 220 workers will be needed to build transmission infrastructure.

The announcement was welcomed by the clean energy sector with Solar Citizens deputy director Stephanie Grey saying it showed that Queensland was committed to renewables.

“It is great news for Queenslanders and an indication that the State’s increased Renewable Energy Target of 70 per cent by 2032 is signalling to the private sector that they should set up shop here,” she said.

“Right now high global coal and gas prices are pushing our bills out of control, and the bill pain from fossil fuels is likely to be an issue for years to come.

“Next year power bills are expected to rise a staggering 30 per cent.”