With the completion of these millstones, Cherry Tree Wind Farm is set to enter its final stage of development, with final commissioning and testing of all 16 wind turbines to take place in the coming weeks.
Project manager Inès Béchameil was pleased to announce the project was nearing completion.
“Completing the installation of the wind turbines and energisation of the substation are significant milestones for the project,” she said.
“This is a very important occasion for Cherry Tree Wind Farm and the Mitchell Shire region, with Cherry Tree being the first wind farm for the area.
“Reaching these key milestones is testament to the dedication and teamwork between our delivery partners including Vestas, AusNet Services, Beon Energy Solutions and Zenviron.”
The next phase of work will include the commissioning and testing of the substation infrastructure, wind turbines and the wind farm control systems before the wind farm is brought into operation.
Reinstatement and minor civil works are ongoing at the site and should be finished by April.
Cherry Tree Wind Farm will contribute to the Victorian Renewable Energy Target (VRET) and its objective to see 25 per cent of the state’s electricity generation supplied from renewable sources this year, increasing to 50 per cent by 2030.
The project will also contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by displacing fossil fuels from the power supply.
Victoria aims to achieve a 15 to 20 per cent reduction in emissions from 2005 by 2020 and net zero emissions by 2050.
The expected annual electrical output from the Cherry Tree Wind Farm will power 37 000 average Victorian households and avoid the emission of 200 000 tonnes of CO2e a year.
The project’s owner and investor John Laing’s regional managing director Justin Bailey said he was excited to see Cherry Tree Wind Farm enter its commissioning phase.
“Our investment, together with the work of our project partners, will soon see this asset producing clean energy for Victoria,” he said.
“As a key provider of infrastructure and energy projects that foster sustainable growth, we are really proud to be part of this project helping the Victorian Government in their efforts to de-carbonise the economy.”
The wind farm is about 15 km south-east of Seymour. Renewable energy developer Infigen Energy is managing the project’s construction for John Laing.
Once the wind farm is complete, Infigen will purchase the electricity the wind farm generates and on-sell it into the grid.
The 57.6 MW Cherry Tree Wind Farm is being constructed by international wind turbine manufacturer Vestas. Vestas will also provide operational and maintenance services to the project for 30 years. The wind farm will have 16 Vestas 3.6 MW V136 wind turbines. All turbine components have been delivered to the site.
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