The State Assessment and Referral Agency has given the green light to two wind farms in the Southern Downs.
Minister for Planning, Steven Miles said the Acciona company received approval to build the MacIntyre Wind Farm Precinct at Cement Mills, about 40 kilometres south-west of Warwick.
“Soon there will be 180 wind turbines in the Darling Downs South West region propelling up to 1,026 megawatts of energy into Queensland’s electricity network,” Dr Miles said.
“Once operational, the MacIntyre Wind Farm Precinct is expected to generate enough renewable electricity to supply about 700,000 Queensland homes.”
He said the project was also set to provide up to 400 jobs during construction, with an additional 240 jobs for the construction of the 64-kilometre transmission line, and 14 full-time jobs once in operation.
Minister for Energy, Renewables and Hydrogen, Mick de Brenni said the project would deliver significant economic benefits for the Darling Downs and beyond, and more renewable megawatts as the State worked to reach its 50 per cent renewable energy target by 2030.
He said the 103-megawatt Karara Wind Farm, which forms part of the MacIntyre Wind Farm Precinct, would be owned and operated by the Government-owned energy generator, CleanCo Queensland.
“This will be a central energy generator for CleanCo and will significantly bolster its portfolio of low-emission energy assets — owned by Queensland, for Queensland,” Mr de Brenni said.
Acciona expects to start construction on the MacIntyre Wind Farm Precinct in the second half of this year and for it to be fully operational by 2024.
