Tassie's biggest wind farm opens

Hydro Tasmania and Vestas have officially opened Musselroe Wind Farm, the largest wind farm in Tasmania. The 56-turbine farm is located in north-east Tasmania.

The 168-megawatt wind farm is operated through a joint venture between Chinese company Shenhua Clean Energy and Hydro Tasmania. Vestas - a Clean Energy Council member - supplied the turbines for the project.

Clean Energy Council Chief Executive David Green said the official opening of this landmark wind energy project, which is capable of supplying power to up to 50,000 homes, demonstrated the economic benefits clean energy could bring to regional and state economies.

“The $394 million Musselroe Wind Farm has employed Tasmanians in construction jobs since 2011, and the steel towers for the project were manufactured locally in Launceston,” Green said.

“But the jobs and investment in Tasmania would not have been possible without the Renewable Energy Target, which is supporting the development of new clean energy projects right across Australia.

“The Renewable Energy Target has already generated more than $18 billion in investment for Australia. It has led to the installation of more than two million household clean energy systems such as solar panels across the country, alongside large-scale clean energy projects such as the Musselroe Wind Farm.

“With a review of the target scheduled for this year, we’re confident the current bipartisan support for the target will remain and will see the delivery of more low-cost clean energy.”