Cape Nelson South wind farm

Explore Cape Nelson South wind farm

The Cape Nelson South Wind Farm is the third stage of Pacific Blue's four-stage Portland Wind Energy Project (PWEP) in southwest Victoria.

Completed in 2009, the wind farm is capable of supplying 44MW of clean electricity to the national grid - the equivalent of supplying the annual electricity needs of 22,000 Victorian homes. The turbines installed are Senvion MM82 wind turbine generators, rated at 2.05MW each, with a maximum hub height of 69m and a maximum blade tip height of 110m.

Operations at Cape Nelson South abate around 140,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually.

Local contractors from the Portland region were employed for the project's construction. Over 300 people across 50 different work categories including civil and electrical contractors, transport services, crane drivers, welders and metal fixers were employed for 12 months of construction.

In addition to creating substantial job opportunities during construction, Pacific Blue is working with local environmental organisations to ensure re-vegetation programs support native wildlife and efforts to protect local species.

The Cape Nelson area is home to Coastal Mallee Scrub, vegetation found nowhere else on Earth. These multi-stemmed eucalypts reach up to heights of 4m, beneath which the understorey flora is strongly influenced by the saline and alkaline conditions found on Cape Nelson. Planning for the wind farm focused on preserving and protecting this important environmental asset.