Harnessing far north winds at Kaban Wind Farm
At a glance
Kaban Green Power Hub, also known as Kaban Wind Farm, is a 157MW wind farm owned and operated by Neoen, located on Jirrbal country in the Atherton Tablelands in far north Queensland. The project is helping contribute to Queensland’s target of 50% renewable electricity by 2030 and providing power to more than 95,900 homes.
The challenge
With planning approvals received in 2018 to support the state government’s new-industry development strategy, the location for the Kaban Wind Farm was identified because of the site’s windy conditions and proximity to an existing 275kV high voltage transmission line.
As a cornerstone project for the Northern Queensland Renewable Energy Zone, Neoen sought our help to provide comprehensive services for the early works and construction phases of the wind farm in 2020.
Our response
As Owner’s Engineer, our team completed detailed design reviews, grid connection support, full-time site representation, specialist inspections, witnessing of commissioning, construction noise monitoring, turbine walkdowns, as well as undertaking regular HSE and environmental audits.
Our responsibility as the Principal’s Representative Agent involved inspection of all aspects of construction, including access roads, foundations, underground cabling, substation, and assembly of turbines. The project’s complex terrain posed some unique challenges during the construction phase, which our team mitigated through geotechnical studies and post-construction audits.
Working closely with Neoen and other project stakeholders, we were able to navigate extreme weather events, Covid-19, and supply chain disruptions to deliver this important project.
The impact
Now complete, the Kaban Wind Farm has 28 turbines, each rated at 5.6MW, reaching heights of 226 mAGL – roughly the height of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. All works associated with electrical reticulation, substation, civil infrastructure and grid connection have been completed and the facility is generating green power.
The Kaban Wind Farm is expected to remain operational for 25+ years, providing over 460,000 MWh per year of green power to homes and businesses, and paving the way for a greener future.
To learn more about the Kaban Green Power Hub, click here.