Wind Farm Project

Archer Point Wind Farm Development

eco-Kinetics of Queensland and the German-based companies IfE Engineering and Aktiva Group in a joint venture with Wind Power Queensland are currently developing a 120 MW wind
farm at Archer Point near Cooktown in Far North Queensland. The Queensland Government has set aside 2,300 hectares of land for a wind farm of up to 250 MW should commercial
conditions become suitable.

The development includes the installation of initially 60 wind turbines (Stage 1) with a capacity of 2.3MW each and the construction of an on-site substation, control facilities and access
tracks. The wind turbines designed for high wind areas will have a hub height at approximately 75 m above ground-level and have a rotor diameter of 70 metres. All connections between
the turbines and the substation will be underground. The wind farm will be connected to the extensive Queensland Electricity Power Grid via a 132kV upgrade of the existing power grid to
the region. Stage 2 will see the installation of another 60 wind turbines.

Archer Point is located on the east coast of North Queensland, approximately 15 km south of Cooktown. The land has been zoned for conservation protection, and has no agricultural or
animal grazing activities. The vegetation consists of mostly short windswept shrubs, acacias and grasses. The wind farm will not impact on any endangered animals or vegetation. A
comprehensive Environmental Management Plan ensures that there will be no negative impact on the adjacent beautiful Great Barrier Reef, which is itself under very serious threat from
the impacts due to carbon dioxide emissions which the wind farm will help reduce.

The wind farm will be the major wind farm in Queensland and will power the city of Cairns and surrounding region. Electricity demand in the region is growing in excess of 3% per annum,
and there are no accessible new sources of power to meet that demand. The wind power will be strongest during the dry season and will complement the existing hydro-electricity
generating stations near Cairns that are most reliable during the wet season. Current peak load power to the region comes from as far south as the 1400 MW coal-fired Stanwell Power
Station near Rockhampton.

The Archer Point wind farm with an installed capacity of 276MW (138MW per stage) has a predicted annual power output of 884 GWh - enough to provide electricity to more than 80,000
homes.

Our Partners: