The proposed MacIntyre Wind Precinct, located 200 kilometres south-west of Brisbane, will produce a combined 2,051 megawatts of generating capacity, from the 1,026-megawatt Herries Range Wind Farm, to be constructed by ACCIONA, a 923-megawatt wind farm, to be constructed by ACCIONA, supported by Korea Zinc Co, and a 103-megawatt Karara Wind Farm, to be delivered by the Queensland Government-owned CleanCo. The site for the project will be located within 36,000 hectares of leased land.
The project is expected to comprise 180 wind turbines and will also include 64 kilometres of new transmission lines to connect to the national grid, as well as an on-site substation. The site has the potential for energy storage in future, however this is not currently within the scope.
In November 2022, Acciona announced the new 1,000MW Herries Range Wind Farm will be built within the MacIntyre Wind Precinct, west of Warwick, bringing the precinct value to $4 billion, and the total amount of renewable energy to 2,000 MW.
Key Dates
| Mar 2020 | Project Announcement |
| Apr 2021 | Planning approval granted |
| Jun 2022 | Construction Commencement |
| 2024 | Expected Construction Completion |
Funding contributions
| Queensland Government |
Financing
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ACCIONA, Korea Zinc and CleanCo all have equity stakes in the project. 923 megawatts of generation is to be constructed by ACCIONA, which will own 70 per cent of this section and Korea Zinc will own 30 per cent. The remaining 103 megawatts of generation is to be procured and owned by CleanCo. |
Procurement
| Procuring Agency: | ACCIONA will procure the main 923-megawatt wind farm and CleanCo will procure the 103-megawatt Karara Wind Farm on the site. |
PROJECT HISTORY
| Mar 2020 | ACCIONA secured a 400-megawatt Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with the Queensland Government’s renewable energy generator, CleanCo. CleanCo also committed to owning and operating a 103-megawatt wind farm within the greater MacIntyre complex. |
| Jul 2020 | ACCIONA submitted a development application seeking a development permit for a Material Change of Use to allow construction and operation of the wind farm to the State Assessment and Referral Agency. |
| Mar 2021 | Ark Energy, a subsidiary of Korea Zinc Co., aquired a 30 per cent equity stake of ACCIONA's wind farm. ACCIONA will remain responsible for managing the project through its development, construction, operations and maintenance stages of the 923-megawatt wind farm. The MacIntyre Wind Farm will also power Sun Metals Corporation, a separate Korea Zinc Co. subsidiary in Australia. |
| Apr 2021 | The project received planning approval from the Queensland Government’s State Assessment and Referral Agency. |
| Jun 2021 | In its 2021-22 Budget, the Queensland Government allocated $145 million to CleanCo in FY2021-22 to develop the 103-megawatt Karara Wind Farm on the project site. |
| Mar 2022 | The Queensland Government announced $170 million in funding for transmission infrastructure to connect the MacIntyre Wind Precinct to the National Electricity Market. |
| Jun 2022 | Construction commencement. |
| Oct 2022 | Korea Zinc subsidiary Ark Energy signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Telstra to provide the telco 350GWH a year from its 30 percent share of the project. |
| Nov 2022 | ACCIONA has started development of the 1,000MW Herries Range Wind Farm, as part of the MacIntyre Wind Precinct |
