Collector Windfarm in New South Wales Readies for Planning Assessment

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources Australia (Perth, Australia)--The Collector Windfarm, which has been proposed by Ratch Australia Corporation (North Sydney, New South Wales), received recommendations from the State Planning and Infrastructure Department in September 2013. The recommendations, which are subject to various conditions, will be further reviewed by the New South Wales (NSW) Planning Assessment Commission (PAC) to determine if the project is viable for the Collector community.

"The Department believes that the project is justified and in the public interest, and should be approved subject to the recommended conditions of approval and the proponent's statement of commitments," the report said. According to Project Manager Anthony Yeates, the PAC will finish the final approval process in the next six to 10 weeks and review the recommendations made by the state planning department, before making its final decision.

The Collector Windfarm is to be built near Goulbourn in New South Wales, Australia. The $350 million project involves the installation of approximately 63 turbines that range in capacity from 2 megawatts (MW) to 3.4 MW. The turbines will produce 214 MW of electricity.

The company expects to hear a final decision from the PAC by end of 2013, subject to which the final design will commence in the following year. Construction is expected to commence by end of 2014; it will involve a nine- to 10-months pre-construction process, followed by the actual construction period of 20 to 24 months. The windfarm is expected to be operational by the end of 2016.

The project proposal includes construction of a windfarm substation with two 130-megavolt-ampere transformers, switchgear and circuit breakers, and approximately 35 kilometres of 33-kilovolt underground electrical and control cabling to connect each wind turbine to the existing Goulburn transmission line substation. Construction of the transmission line will go hand-in-hand with the windfarm to enable electricity transmission to the grid.

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