Verve Energy's Warradarge Windfarm Undergoes Feasibility Studies

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Perth, Australia)--Verve Energy (Perth, Australia), a state-owned power generator, is currently developing the two-stage Warradarge Windfarm in the Midwest region, 270 kilometres (km) north of Perth. The company proposed building the massive, $600 million windfarm in 2012. When completed, it will generate up to 100 MW of electricity from Stage 1 alone. The windfarm will use 2.5-MW turbines and will have up to 40 turbines as part of Stage 1 construction.

Upon completing Stage 1, Verve Energy will build Stage 2 with more than 50 turbines, which will contribute an additional 150 MW of electricity to the grid. The windfarm is currently in the early feasibility stage, and construction is expected to begin in the next 24 to 30 months. Stage 2 development will commence upon completion of Stage 1. Both stages together will produce enough electricity to power 140,000 homes.

Verve Energy is in plans to merge with Western Australia's largest energy retailing company, Synergy (Perth, Australia), to deliver improved efficiencies in electricity delivery. The delay in the merger has slightly delayed the project from feasibility studies, which are planned for completion by the middle of this year.

On a different note, Verve Energy's 57.5-MW Milyeannup Windfarm development in Perth was put on hold, with no clear indications for any future development. The reasons include several internal factors, such as low wind resources in the proposed region. The windfarm is located on the southern coast at Milyeannup, about 20 kilometers east of Augusta, Perth.

Verve had been collecting data on the southern coast wind resource at the Milyeannup site since 2003. The company completed environmental studies in 2007 and feasibility studies in 2009. The project was initially put on the back burner during 2010 and 2011. However, the company brought the project back online in 2012 and continued some development activities for more than a year. However, Verve Energy recently confirmed that it will not go ahead with the project construction in the near future.

Verve Energy is the largest generator in the Western Australian electricity market, which owns and operates major power stations and renewable energy systems across the state. According to Verve Energy's published information, they have a generation capacity of 2,967 MW and produce 10,000 gigawatt-hours of electricity per year. This equates to about 60% of all the electricity in the Western Australian market.

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