The project is expected to begin operations later this year, Goldwind Australia said.
White Rock’s first phase is composed of 70 of Goldwind’s 2.5MW turbines with rotor diameters of 121 metres. The New South Wales government has approved plans for a further 49 turbines for the project’s second stage.
Chinese manufacturer Goldwind plans to expand White Rock so that the completed project would include 119 turbines with a total capacity of 400MW.
Once completed, the 400MW project would be one of the biggest wind farms in Australia, according to Windpower Intelligence, the data and research division of Windpower Monthly.
The 420MW Macarthur project is currently the largest operational site in the country, but six even larger projects are currently in construction.
Three engineers were taken to hospital after their ute — an Australian pickup car/truck hybrid — rolled over at the White Rock site in June. One man suffered chest injuries in the crash was flown to hospital by helicopter.
It was reported in the Glen Innes Examiner that workers at the site were unhappy with safety standards at Wind Rock after the crash, according to the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union.
A Goldwind Australia spokesperson said management took safety "extremely seriously on all (their) sites", according to the newspaper.
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