France-based renewable energy producer Neoen has recently announced its plans to commence the construction of the AUD373 million Kaban Green Power Hub in Far North Queensland, Australia.
The energy hub is designed to generate clean, affordable energy and to reinforce the electricity network in Far North Queensland. The project consists of a 157 MW wind farm located near the town of Ravenshoe in the Atherton Tablelands and the upgrade of the 320 km North Queensland coastal circuit transmission line from 132 kV to 275 kV.
The Queensland government has allocated a funding of AUD40 million towards the upgradation of the aforementioned transmission line. The state’s transmission system operator (TSO), Powerlink, will work with Neoen to upgrade the said transmission line between Cairns and Townsville, which will substantially improve the network’s system strength, increase the energy available to be dispatched from other plants in the region, and unlock up to 180 MW of additional capacity for future projects.
The wind farm is expected to generate 475 GW of clean energy annually, catering to the needs of about 100,000 homes in Queensland. The Kaban wind project takes Neoen’s portfolio past the 2 GW milestone of assets operating or under construction in Australia. Neoen is the owner and operator of 14 wind, solar and battery storage projects in New South Wales (NSW), Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia.
The project is expected to be operational by 2023.
