Canunda 46 MW plant on track for 2005 completion

With the first of 23 Vestas V80 turbines now installed, construction of the 46 MW Canunda wind farm at Lake Bonney in South Australia is on track for completion in early 2005 as planned. It is the first time the 2 MW machine has been used in Australia. "We are half way through erection despite the horrendous weather conditions," says Paul Bultitude of Wind Prospect, the company developing the project on behalf of International Power. "The contractors and Vestas have pushed through and we have come out ahead of schedule." Power generated by the wind farm will be carried 14 kilometres to the Snuggery substation via a transmission line installed last month. "We expect that the first four turbines will be producing electricity to the substation by the beginning of November," adds Bultitude. On completion Canunda will generate enough electricity to supply about 25,000 homes. All of the electricity produced will be sold to energy retailer AGL under a long term power purchase agreement. Wind Prospect says it has more megawatts of wind farm projects in advanced stages of planning and construction than any other company on mainland Australia -- 380 MW already has planning permission while a further 320 MW is in the planning process.