The Gunning Wind Farm project is a wind farm development in the
Cullerin Range
Cullerin is a small township in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia. It is on the Old Hume Highway and Main South railway line in Upper Lachlan Shire. The Cullerin railway station opened in 1880 and closed in 1973. At the , ...
, north-east of
Gunning, in
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
. Wind turbines in the farm are visible from the
Hume Highway
Hume Highway, inclusive of the sections now known as Hume Freeway and Hume Motorway, is one of Australia's major inter-city national highways, running for between Melbourne in the southwest and Sydney in the northeast. Upgrading of the route ...
.
The Gunning Wind Farm comprises an electrical substation and operation and maintenance facilities plus 31 turbines which send power to the substation via 17km of underground cabling.
A 14km-long 132kV transmission line was constructed to connect the wind farm to the 132kV Yass-Goulburn transmission line. Turbines generate electricity at 12kV which travels via underground cables to the substation where it is stepped up to 132kV to match the grid voltage.
Construction began in April 2010 and created about 100 jobs, bringing significant economic activity to the Gunning region. The wind farm was completed in May 2011.
A great deal of work was done prior to development of the wind farm. Technical studies identified constraints and the best design, with independent consultants engaged to report on:
* flora and fauna
* cultural heritage
* traffic and transport
* geology and hydrology
* landscape and visual amenity
* sound
The wind farm is capable of producing 46.5MW of clean, renewable energy.
Each of the 1.5MW turbines at the Gunning Wind Farm can provide sufficient renewable energy to power approximately 750 homes and save more than 5,250 tonnes of
greenhouse gas emissions
Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities strengthen the greenhouse effect, contributing to climate change. Most is carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels: coal, oil, and natural gas. The largest emitters include coal in China and lar ...
a year.
The 31 turbines can power 35,000 homes annually and save more than 162,750 tonnes of greenhouse gases a year.
See also
*
Cullerin Range Wind Farm
The 30 megawatt Cullerin Range Wind Farm is located in the localities of Cullerin and Breadalbane in the Upper Lachlan Shire, New South Wales, Australia. The wind farm was completed in 2009 and cost around $90 million. The owner, Origin Energy ...
References
External links
*
{{Wind farms in Australia
Wind farms in New South Wales
Gunning, New South Wales