Infigen Energy's Windfarm Outside Canberra to Provide Power to Sydney Water's Desalination Plant

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--A 140.7-megawatt (MW) windfarm with 64 turbines, owned by Infigen Energy (ASX:IFN) (Sydney, Australia), is set to provide power to a water desalination plant operated by the New South Wales government-owned Sydney Water (Sydney).

The windfarm, which is near Bungendore, east of the nation's capital of Canberra, officially opened this week. Although it has a nominal power capacity of 140.7 MW, it is unlikely that the output will exceed much more than one-third of this on average. It is the largest windfarm operating in New South Wales and is more than five times larger than any other in the state.

Infigen and Sydney Water signed a 20-year contract last year, under which the majority of the output from the windfarm is to be used to provide power to the desalination plant at Kurnell, in the southern suburbs of Sydney. Any excess power remaining after the desalination plant has taken the estimated 40 MW it requires will be fed into the national grid.

Australia is one of the driest countries in the world and with local dam storage levels plummeting to record-low levels, as well as water restrictions, providing water to the population has been a major problem in recent years. The desalination plant at Kurnell will draw seawater through pipelines some 300 meters offshore and use the reverse osmosis technology to provide sufficient fresh water--up to 250 million liters each day--to account for 15% of Sydney's water supply. The plant is slated to begin operations during the coming summer season.

Infigen operates three windfarms in Australia. The windfarm at Alinta, in Western Australia, is some 12 kilometers inland and 30 kilometers southeast of Geraldton, and has a capacity of 89.1 MW that is generated by 54 wind turbines. The other two windfarms in South Australia, known as Lake Bonney 1 and 2, are at Lake Bonney, near Millicent, and have a total capacity of 239.5 MW procured from 99 turbines. A third farm, Lake Bonney 3, is under construction at Lake Bonney and will have a capacity of 39 MW generated by 13 turbines. It is scheduled to be brought online in April 2010. A further 12 projects are in the pipeline, and the company sees major infrastructure projects, such as desalination plants, playing a large role in the future.

Infigen was previously known as Babcock & Brown Wind Partners, but changed its name when the company went through a management reorganization last April. The reorganization has resulted in plans for the sale of assets in France, Germany and United States in order to focus on the Australian renewable energy market place. Funds from the sales also will be used to pay off company debts.

In August this year, Infigen estimated that it will take at least six months to realize the sale of these assets, possibly even longer in the United States. Managing Director Miles George commented this week that the plans are continuing on track and that the process is going well.

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