Olex to supply complete power cable solution for SA Wind Farm
02 Oct 2006
Olex Australia have recently been awarded orders for $5.7 million worth of power cable to supply South Australia’s largest Wind Farm.
The Hallett Wind Farm will comprise 45 x 2.1 MW turbines with a total installed capacity of 94.5 MW. AGL (Australian Gas Light Company), one of Australia’s largest retailers of natural gas and electricity, are the end client, with Suzlon Energy Australia (SEA) awarded the contract for the Engineering, Procurement & Construction of the entire project.
The Hallett site is located 220 kilometres north of Adelaide and spreads more than 14 kilometres over the Brown Hill ridge. On completion it will be Australia’s largest wind farm.
The power cabling requirement for the project consists of two sections.
The first section consists of a range of flexible .6/1kV H07RN-F & H07BN4-F rubber cables. Sizes range between 2.5mm multi core up to 240mm SDI. These cables will be installed in the 80 meter tower and will transfer power between the Suzlon S88-2.1 MW turbine generator to the 275kV transformer / grid. For this section of the project Olex partnered with leading French cable and wire manufacturer, Nexans.
The second section involves the 33kV reticulation component. This component comprises a range of 3 core 120mm –thru to 3 core 400mm 19/33Kv Aluminium Screened PVC/HDPE Termolex Cables.
Olex’ involvement in this significant project will enable the company to further advance in this new and growing market.
“The Hallett Wind Farm project has given Olex a great opportunity in a relatively new growth market. The development of facilities providing clean energy alternatives to existing sources will increase significantly over the coming years. We have taken our first step and are now well placed to be part of this growth,” said Mark Dabbs, Olex Industrial Product Manager.
Future of Wind Farms
The future of renewable energy through wind farms in Australia looks bright as many State governments begin to legislate to ensure alternative renewable energy sources are developed.
The Victorian Government has legislated for a scheme to deliver its Renewable Energy Target (VRET). The scheme passed by the government begins on the 1st January 2007 and ends on the 31st December 2030. The target is set for 10% renewable energy by 2016. This equates to 3,274 GWh of additional renewable energy generation by 2016.
Victoria is not the only state that has set targets for renewable energy solutions. The South Australian Government has released for public consultation the Climate Change and Greenhouse Emissions Reduction Bill (CCGER). The proposed legislation will commit the State to a target of 20% renewable energy by 2014. The West Australian Government has also announced plans for an expansion of the Renewable Remote Power Generation Program (RRPGP).
The Hallett Wind Farm is currently under construction, with the medium voltage cable currently being installed. The first prototype turbine cables are to be delivered on site in January 2007, with the remaining cables to be delivered from May 2007 onwards.
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 Above: The Hallett wind farm will comprise 45 x 2.1 MW turbines. |
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