10/11/06
Premier Alan Carpenter today officially opened Western Australia's second biggest wind farm, which is set to power Perth's new $387million seawater desalination plant in Kwinana.
Located 30km east of Cervantes, the Emu Downs wind farm consists of 48 wind turbines and will generate 80 mega-watts of renewable energy. The desalination plant will also be the largest facility of its kind in the world to be powered by renewable energy.
Mr Carpenter said the wind farm was a significant step towards meeting the State Government's six per cent renewable energy target for WA's main electricity grid by 2010.
"The Emu Downs wind farm will produce electricity equivalent to powering 50,000 homes and will reduce greenhouse emissions by about 220,000 tonnes each year - the same as taking over 50,000 cars off the road," he said.
"As part of our Renewable Energy policy, we have set a renewable energy target of six per cent in the South-West Interconnected System (SWIS), the State's main electricity grid, by 2010.
"When we announced our policy at the beginning of 2005, renewable energy accounted for approximately 1.5 per cent of the electricity generation on the SWIS.
"That figure has since risen to just over four per cent, with the Emu Downs wind farm set to further boost that figure to well over five per cent."
The Premier congratulated the project developers, Griffin Energy and Stanwell Corporation, on successfully commissioning the facility and for delivering on their commitment to use local labour and services where possible.
"This project has been a great boost to the region and the local area," he said.
"The contractors have collectively injected $10million into the regional economy, $2million has been spent locally through employment wages and service procurement and the project management team has spent approximately $1.75million in the area by way of support to local businesses."
Mr Carpenter said the State Government was committed to protecting and improving WA's environment and was pleased to see this project come to fruition.
"The Emu Downs wind farm is a great example of clean energy generation," he said.
"It will contribute to greenhouse gas abatement in the energy sector and to developing community awareness of the benefits of renewable energy."
Since 2001, eight new wind farms had been installed around WA, including Esperance, Rottnest Island, Hopetoun, Bremer Bay, Albany, Exmouth and Walkaway.
Last week, the State Government announced three new state-of-the-art, cyclone-proof wind turbines would be built at Coral Bay costing $9.6million and using new technologies developed in WA.
The Premier said the State Government had a number of other initiatives in place to further the growth of renewable energy in WA, in particular the development of a renewable energy strategy.
"The strategy will target practical actions to overcome barriers to renewable energy, assist project proponents, encourage innovation, increase community understanding of renewable energy and demonstrate the benefits of its greater use," he said.
"It will also include a renewable energy target for 2020."
The strategy is due to be released by mid-next year.
Premier's Office - 9222 9475
