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 Codrington is a wind farm of firsts. It was Pacific Hydro’s first wind development, as well as the first fully private investment in a wind farm in Australia. When it was officially opened by the Victorian Premier Steve Bracks in July 2001, it was also Australia’s largest wind farm, with 14 windmills and a combined capacity of 18.2MW.
Located near Port Fairy in southwest Victoria, the Codrington site was close to perfect, with strong prevailing winds blowing off the Southern Ocean, a large land area so we could best space the windmills, easy access to the National Electricity Grid, existing land use that would co-exist with the windmills, and suitable access for the construction vehicles and machinery.
We spoke to the local community and government, and received strong support for the project. We worked hard to avoid any negative impact on bird life or natural vegetation and ensured that we would not violate any Indigenous cultural heritage, that we would minimise noise and disturbance for the community during construction and that there would be no ongoing noise or visual impact issues.
Construction started in November 2000 and finished just 8 months later in June 2001. The wind farm now generates enough electricity each year to supply 11,000 Victorian homes - that’s a town larger than Warrnambool – and each year avoids the emission of 71,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas. That’s like removing more than 17,000 cars from the road.
We injected more than $9 million into the regional economy during construction and development and created over 30 jobs, with local companies contracted to install roads, foundations, towers, transformers and cabling. Tourism in the region is now flourishing, with the wind farm attracting about 50,000 visitors annually.
Our landholders receive ongoing revenue payments, and since the 14 windmills and roads take up less than 1 per cent of the land, their sheep and cattle grazing activities are able to continue unaffected.
| Capacity |
18.2MW |
| Electricity Generation |
51 GWh p.a. |
| Capacity Factor |
32% |
| Availability |
98% |
| Commissioned |
June 2001 |
| Wind Generators |
AN Bonus |
| Location |
Victoria, Australia |
| Project Cost |
A$30 million |
| Number of Windmills |
14 x 1.3 MW |
| Power Purchase Agreement |
Origin Energy |
| Greenhouse Gas Saving |
est. 71,000 tonnes p.a. |
| Homes Supplied |
est. 10,000 p.a. |
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The Facts
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