The proposed MacIntyre Wind Precinct, located 200 kilometres south-west of Brisbane, will produce a combined 2,051 megawatts (MW) of generating capacity, from four separate wind farms. Projects in the Precinct include:
- the 1,026-MW Herries Range Wind Farm, to be constructed by ACCIONA
- a 923-MW wind farm, to be constructed by ACCIONA, supported by Korea Zinc Co, and
- a 103-MW 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, and sits within the Southern QREZ.
The project is expected to comprise 162 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.
Key Dates
| Mar 2020 | Project Announcement |
| Apr 2021 | Planning approval granted |
| Jun 2022 | Construction Commencement |
| 2024 | Expected Construction Completion |
Funding contributions
| User charges | |
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Queensland Government-owned corporation, CleanCo, committed $250 million to develop the Karara Wind Farm in the 2021-22 Queensland Budget. |
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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.
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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 | Queensland Government-owned corporation, CleanCo, committed $250 million, including 145 million in FY2021-22, to develop the Karara Wind Farm in the 2021-22 Queensland Budget. |
| Mar 2022 | The Clean Energy Finance Corporation announced $160 million for transmission infrastructure to connect the MacIntyre Wind Precinct to the National Electricity Market from the Rewiring the Nation fund. |
| 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 commenced development of the 1,000-MW Herries Range Wind Farm, as part of the MacIntyre Wind Precinct, bringing the precinct value to $4 billion, and the total amount of renewable energy to two gigawatts. |
| Apr 2024 | PowerLink announced the completion of the transmission infrastructure to connect the Macintyre Wind Precinct to the National Electricity Market. The works included construction of two 330-kilovolt (kV) switching stations, 65 kilometres of 330-kV transmission lines and 165 towers. The connection works enable the wind farm to connect to the Southern Downs REZ. |
| May 2025 | Ark Energy announced it has reached financial close on its 30 per cent interest in the project. |
