Work starts on mega wind farm in Queensland

The Queensland Government has announced that work is officially underway at the MacIntyre Wind Farm precinct — a 620-worker, $2 billion project that will include Queensland’s first publicly owned and operated wind farm and establish the state’s second Renewable Energy Zone (REZ).

The 1026 MW precinct consists of two wind farms — the proposed 103 MW Karara Wind Farm to be owned and operated by the Queensland Government’s low-emissions generator and retailer, CleanCo Queensland, and the 923 MW MacIntyre Wind Farm that will be owned and operated by ACCIONA Energy Australia.

Queensland Treasurer Cameron Dick said the project represents not just more renewable energy for Queensland, but a major boost for jobs and regional opportunities.

“This project will create 400 project jobs during construction and support a further 220 transmission jobs,” he said. “It will inject more than $500 million into the Southern Downs and Darling Downs regional economy during construction and provide renewable, affordable power for businesses across the region well into the future.”

Minister for Energy, Renewables and Hydrogen Mick de Brenni said the mega project is supporting more than 600 construction and transmission jobs.

“We are creating more jobs in more industries,” he said. “As well as the 400 wind farm construction and 220 transmission connection jobs, the zero-emissions MacIntyre Wind Farm power will fuel decent, secure jobs in energy-intensive industries, in particular nearby manufacturing.”

The MacIntyre precinct, being delivered in partnership with ACCIONA, takes in the MacIntyre Wind Farm, boasting 162 turbines, and the Karara Wind Farm, which will host a further 18 turbines.

“The precinct will be one of the largest wind farms in the Southern Hemisphere and is a signal to global investors that Queensland is ready to support low-emissions, job-creating industry onshore,” said de Brenni. “With its high-quality wind resources, the Southern Downs QREZ west of Warwick is an ideal location to support continued expansion of energy-intensive industry in SEQ.”

CleanCo Chair Jacqui Walters said it was a major step, with the renewable energy generated by the MacIntyre precinct helping to support CleanCo to deliver reliable, clean energy solutions at a competitive price for customers, helping them thrive in a net zero future.

“With the capacity to supply the equivalent of nearly 700,000 homes, this massive MacIntyre project will substantially boost renewable energy supply in Queensland, helping our industries, businesses and communities to achieve their sustainability goals,” she said.

ACCIONA Energia Managing Director Brett Wickham said as the largest onshore wind farm in the Southern Hemisphere, the MacIntyre precinct is bringing significant social and economic benefits not just to the Downs but to the whole of Queensland.

“I believe MacIntyre is the start of a golden age of renewable energy in Australia — one that takes full advantage of our renewable resources with projects that help drive and develop our regional economies,” he said. “It is great to be working alongside CleanCo to deliver this major project for Queensland and its residents.”

Powerlink Chief Executive Paul Simshauser said on-ground work had started this month to deliver two new switching stations and 65 km of new transmission line to connect the massive wind precinct to the grid.

“At more than 1 GW, this is easily Powerlink’s largest connection project to date,” he said. “Importantly, it will also deliver Queensland’s second REZ development, unlocking an additional 1500 MW of hosting capacity in the region and supporting 220 jobs during construction.”

The entire MacIntyre precinct will be operational in 2024.

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