Turbines arrive for Australia’s tallest wind farm

The turbines arrive at the port

Australia welcomed the import of its largest wind turbines on Saturday as the first shipment for the Sapphire Wind Farm arrived at the Port of Newcastle.

The CWP Renewables development will see eight shipments arrive over nine months, bound for the 270MW Sapphire Wind Farm, located between Glen Innes and Inverell in the New England Tablelands.

The project will be the largest wind farm in New South Wales and Australia’s tallest and second-largest wind farm.

“We are looking forward to receiving the turbine components into port and the continued construction of the largest wind farm in NSW,” CWP Renewables chief operating officer Ed Mounsey said last week.

“The project will drive job growth and regional investment in the New England region, and indirect investment throughout the state.”

The vessel Helvetia is arrived in the Port on Saturday afternoon carrying the first of the turbine tower sections.

When combined, the tower sections will measure 136m long.

These sections will be followed by shipments of blades and other components with each blade measuring 63m in length, eclipsing the previous record set in October 2016.

Deputy Prime Minister and Member for New England Barnaby Joyce said it was great to see that the project was forging ahead.

“This project along with other solar and wind projects in the Glen Innes/Inverell area bring the renewable energy investment in the local area to more than $1 billion,” Mr Joyce said.

“This is an unprecedented investment in renewable energy for the New England Electorate and I look forward to seeing this project completed mid next year.”

The turbines will be stored at the Port’s Mayfield Site and progressively transported by truck to Glen Innes. Turbine component haulage is a significant logistical undertaking, with delivery of turbine towers, nacelles and blades.

“Port of Newcastle looks forward to working in partnership with CWP Renewables and their logistics and transport providers to stage this significant development,” Port of Newcastle CEO Geoff Crowe said.

“Our berth-side storage is a huge advantage to our customers, as it removes a step from the supply chain and offers greater efficiency and cost savings.

“For example, we have imported and stored 70 turbines over the last nine months for another wind farm development which allowed for optimum staging of the project.”

Construction on the project is expected to begin later this year.

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