ACCIONA Energía has announced today that the initial 27 wind turbines of the MacIntyre Wind Farm in Queensland (Australia) have been connected to the grid, generating the project’s first renewable electricity, adding a total installed and operative capacity of 154MW. The wind farm will progressively reach full capacity over the next twelve months.

Projects on a scale such as the MacIntyre Wind Farm (923MW) are built and commissioned gradually as phases are completed.

The construction of this wind farm, which, upon completion, will be the largest one in the southern hemisphere, has to date, generated hundreds of jobs and significantly stimulated the local economy. On average, between 400 and 500 people have been working on the project during this construction phase, with over 1,000 workers employed during its peak.

The MacIntyre Wind Farm will be equipped with 162 Delta4000 turbines, each with a capacity of 5.7 MW. The energy produced will be supplied through PPA agreements to Queensland’s publicly owned energy generator Stanwell Corporation, and to Queensland’s public electricity company CleanCo, helping to decarbonise large businesses and the infrastructure, resources, retail and transport sectors.

In addition, Ark Energy, an Australian subsidiary of Korea Zinc and owner of a 30% stake in the project, is planning to use some of the generation from its share in the MacIntyre Wind Farm to decarbonize sister company Sun Metals Corporation and its refinery in Townsville, supporting Sun Metals’ plans to be the world’s first producer of green zinc.

The MacIntyre Wind Farm is part of the larger 2GW MacIntyre Wind Precinct, which also includes the Herries Range Wind Farm (~1 MW) which is in late-stage development. Once completed, they will nearly double the amount of wind energy generated in Queensland.