The vision of a small group of sheep farmers is set to deliver nine per cent of the state’s energy requirements and a windfall for the local community.
Twenty years ago, a small group of sheep farmers in Victoria’s central west had a vision to drought-proof their farms with a few wind turbines.
Life on the farm can be tough. Blake and his late wife ran sheep for decades, riding the peaks and troughs of the wool industry’s unpredictable market. Then there’s the changing climate to contend with. “It takes up very little land mass of our farms. We still continue to farm and provide food for the people ... and that’s what’s important to us. That’s what we’re about.”Some 40 local landholders have signed contracts to host wind turbines on their properties, with 52 turbines, transmission lines, more than 100 kilometres of roads and a power station built over the past 18 months. Another 163 turbines are due to be constructed by the end of 2026.
The $4 billion project has many parents: majority owned by TagEnergy, with additional investment from Ingka Group, it was backed by the Clean Energy Finance Corporation. “That means we don’t need government subsidies. This project is 100 per cent funded by the sales we make to our customers ... It’s completely a commercial enterprise funded by our sales and also backed by our investors, private equity.”
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