Toora Wind Farm

Grid-connected, distributed generation, renewable
Location: Toora, VIC

How the farm operates

The Toora wind farm is the second large-scale wind farm to be built in Victoria and the second major wind farm for Stanwell Corporation.It consists of 12 turbines with a combined capacity of 21 MW. The turbines are made by Danish company Vestas and each has an electrical capacity of 1.75 MW. The turbines are mounted on tubular towers 67 metres high. The rotors have a total diameter of 66 metres. The blades pitch to optimise the power produced and to control the rotation speed. The turbines rotate at 19 to 21 revolutions per minute. Power is produced at wind speeds of between 3.5 m/s and 25 m/s.

Electricity sales

Power is generated at 690 volts and is eventually stepped up to 66,000 volts with a transformer for connection to the grid. The turbines are connected through underground 22 kV cables before being connected to the local 66 kV grid owned by TXU. CitiPower had entered into an agreement with Stanwell to purchase all the power produced at the site but this has been transferred to Origin Energy with the sale of CitiPower to Origin Energy. The generation will be used in Origin's Green Earth Green Power product, and any surplus will go towards meeting Origin's liability under the Renewable Energy (Electricity) Act 2000.

About the site

The site is owned by five farmers who lease access to Stanwell. The farms continue to be used for dairy and cattle farming, and farm activities are unaffected by the turbines.

Environmental impact of the farm

The Toora wind farm produces enough energy to supply more than 6600 homes and will abate the equivalent of up to 48,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.