Asset Overview

Construction of Toora Wind Farm commenced in 2001. It was one of the first commercial wind farms in Victoria. The wind turbines were supplied by Danish company Vestas. The Farm will reduce Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions by up to 48,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year.

Number of Turbines   12

Energy Produced    21 megawatts


The Site

The site is owned by five farmers who lease access to RATCH-Australia. The farms continue to be used for dairy and cattle farming, and farm activities are unaffected by the turbines.

Environmental Benefits

The Toora Wind Farm produces enough energy to supply more than 6,600 homes and will abate the equivalent of up to 1.2 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent during its forecast 25 year operating life. This is achieved by replacing coal or gas in energy production processes through harnessing the natural resource of wind.

Investments in renewable energy are environmentally and commercially sustainable. Australian Government renewable energy schemes allow producers of renewable energy to sell the power generated and obtain Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs). Energy retailers are required to purchase RECs to support the generation of renewable energy and achieve renewable energy targets.

Blade Dimensions

The blades are mounted on tubular towers 67 metres high. The rotors have a total diameter of 66 metres, and the blades pitch to optimise the power produced and to control the rotation speed.

The turbines rotate at 10 to 21 revolutions per minute, with power produced at wind speeds of between 3.5 and 25 metres per second.

The Turbines

The Vestas V66 turbines were manufactured in Denmark. Each generator produces 1,750 kilowatts of electricity.

The 67 metre tubular steel towers were produced in Victoria by Australian Defence Industries (ADI).

Other Equipment

Electricity produced by the wind turbines is fed into the 66 kilovolt distribution network via a 22 kilovolt underground collection cable system to each tower.

Construction

Stanwell Corporation, the developer of the wind farm, undertook wind monitoring to assess the potential of the site and optimum turbine layout. The consultation process considered issues such as aesthetics, impact on wildlife, noise levels and compatibility with telecommunications systems.

The Project

The Toora wind farm was commissioned in October 2002, and cost $38 million.

RATCH-Australia acquired the wind farm in December 2007.