Macarthur Wind Farm
The 420 MW Macarthur Wind Farm can generate enough clean, green energy to power the equivalent of approximately 167,000 average Australian homes. Generating electricity from Macarthur Wind Farm displaces electricity that may otherwise need to be sourced from the grid at a higher emissions intensity. Location Macarthur Wind Farm sits about 16 km east of Macarthur, between Hamilton and Warnambool in south western Victoria. Spanning about 5,500 hectares of freehold agricultural land, it crosses three properties that are predominately used for sheep and cattle grazing. Development and maintenance AGL engaged Leighton Contractors and Vestas to construct Macarthur Wind Farm. It took about 2.5 years to build, and has been fully operational since late January 2013. Vestas continues to play an important role in ongoing operations. As the world's largest manufacturer of wind turbines, Vestas brings state-of-the-art technology, quality and reliability to the project – ensuring its long-term success. During development and construction, the total number of jobs (including flow-on employment) was estimated at 875 from the region, 2,490 from Victoria and 2,782 from the rest of Australia. A permanent site team – responsible for ongoing maintenance and operations – includes 18 local residents from south west Victoria. AGL Macarthur Wind Farm Bushfire Mitigation Plan 2020-2021 (PDF), opens in a new window News In October 2019, AGL welcomed the sale of a 50% interest in the 420 MW Macarthur Wind Farm joint venture to AMP Capital. AGL continues to operate and maintain the wind farm on behalf of Palisade and Atmos Renewables and AMP Capital, and retains the rights to all Renewable Energy Certificates and electricity output until 2038, opens in a new window. Community complaints and enquiries Ask our Community Forum The AGL Community Engagement Forum is a place to ask questions, provide feedback, or discuss anything about AGL’s operational sites and the communities in which we operate. Join the conversation, opens in a new window AGL understands that we don’t always get it right, and we want to be informed when we don’t. If you would like to provide any feedback, good or bad, or simply ask some questions, please feel free to get in touch via the following channels:Broken Hill Solar Plant
On an annual basis, the Broken Hill Solar Plant will produce enough electricity to meet the needs of approximately 19,000 average Australian homes. Broken Hill Solar Plant was one of two large-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) power plants delivered by AGL in 2015, jointly funded by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and the NSW Government. The 53 MW solar plant is expected to generate approximately 126,000 megawatt hours (MWh) of clean, renewable electricity each year. It will reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by over 103,710 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per annum, assuming a rate of 0.84 tonnes per MWh of electricity. Particulate and heavy metal emissions will also be reduced. Location Broken Hill has one of the highest levels of solar radiation in NSW, making it an ideal location for a solar plant. Plus, with a large local population and several industrial sites nearby, there is significant demand for electrical power in the region. The site sits about 5 km southwest of the Broken Hill township, adjacent to Willyama Common. An existing substation is nearby, enabling relatively efficient connection into the electrical grid. The solar plant occupies approximately 140 hectares of Crown Land bounded by the Barrier Highway to the north and the Peterborough-Broken Hill rail line to the south, and administered by the NSW Department Primary Industries, Lands and Water. Broken Hill Solar Plant map (PDF), opens in a new window Tilt Renewables On behalf of Tilt Renewables (formerly Powering Australian Renewables Fund (PARF)), AGL announced in November 2016 that it had reached financial close on selling its 102 MW Nyngan and 53 MW Broken Hill solar plants into the fund. The AU$257 million sale, with approximately nil profit on sale, includes AGL writing a long term offtake agreement with the two solar plants. Media release: Powering Australian Renewables Fund achieves first major milestone, opens in a new window Project delivery AGL was responsible for the development and management of Broken Hill Solar Plant. Construction began in mid-July 2014 and was completed at the end of 2015. The plant was officially opened in January 2016. First Solar provided AGL with engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services and is also maintaining the plant for its first five years of commercial operation. The electricity produced by the project will be sold under a power purchase agreement to AGL Hydro Partnership, a partnership between wholly owned subsidiaries of AGL. How does the solar plant work? First Solar's advanced cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin film photovoltaic (PV) modules convert sunlight into electricity, which is then fed into the electrical grid. This process generates electricity with no air emissions, no waste production and no water use. Generation Generation from the Broken Hill Solar Plant commenced on 15 September 2015. Full generation (53 MW) was achieved in October 2015. The following information is provided for calendar year 2016 (PDF), opens in a new window and calendar year 2017 (XLS), opens in a new window: actual generation from the solar plant during the AEMO trading interval actual regional reference price for each trading interval link to Green Energy Markets showing the LGC market prices. The Broken Hill Solar Plant is connected to the National Electricity Market, opens in a new window (NEM) which is managed by the Australian Energy Market Operator, opens in a new window (AEMO). For a glossary of terms associated with the NEM and mentioned in our report please refer to the AEMO website, opens in a new window. The solar plant revenue is also subject to the Marginal Loss Factors (MLF) which are published, opens in a new window each financial year by AEMO. Report: Broken Hill Generation (PDF), opens in a new window News Broken Hill solar plant viewing platform poses a $10,000 challenge, opens in a new window Tilt Renewables (formerly Powering Australian Renewables Fund) achieve first major milestone, opens in a new window AGL’s Broken Hill solar plant open to the community, opens in a new window AGL’s Nyngan and Broken Hill solar plants officially opened, opens in a new window Half of the modules installed at AGL's Broken Hill Solar Plant, opens in a new window First modules installed at AGL's Broken Hill Solar Plant, opens in a new window Local projects share in $25,000 AGL Broken Hill Solar Plant Construction Community Fund, opens in a new window AGL on track to deliver Australia's largest solar plants, opens in a new window Community complaints and enquiries Mail AGL Community Complaints & Enquiries, Locked Bag 14120 MCMC, Melbourne VIC 8001
