Focus

Today, the local community of Glen Innes joined together with invited guests to celebrate the arrival of the first wind turbine blade for White Rock Wind Farm.  The blade, weighing around 15 tonnes and 59.5 metres in length, is the biggest wind turbine blade in Australia to date.

Adam Marshall MP, Member for Northern Tablelands and Parliamentary Secretary for Northern NSW Renewable Energy joined the local community to celebrate the event.

‘This has been a great opportunity for members of the local community to experience first-hand the absolute size and scale of the turbines to be installed at the wind farm. Sharing opportunities like this with the community shows real community integration of the wind farm in the local area.’ Said Adam Marshall.

Construction of White Rock Wind Farm, the largest wind farm in NSW, commenced in May 2016 and is expected to be fully commissioned by the end of 2017.

John Titchen, Managing Director of Goldwind Australia, said the first blade delivery marks a significant milestone in the construction of the wind farm.

‘Work will now start on the installation of 70 turbines that will provide clean renewable energy to power approximately 75,000 homes, more than all the houses in the New England area.’

Construction of renewable energy projects drives significant economic benefit for local communities said John.

‘The White Rock project represents a real investment for the Glen Innes and Inverell area, in the vicinity of $30-$40 million is expected to be injected into the local economy during construction. Over 200 people have been involved during construction and a 10-15 local service team will be needed once the wind farm is operating.’