Yaloak South wind farm

Learn about the Yaloak South wind farm

Located an hour west of Melbourne approximately 15 kilometres south of Ballan, the Yaloak South Wind Farm commenced construction in late 2016 and construction was completed in June 2018, 25 days ahead of schedule.

The project comprises fourteen Senvion MM92 wind turbine generators, rated at 2.05MW each, providing a total installed capacity of 28.7MW with a maximum hub height of 80m and a maximum tip height of 126.25m.

The project has been built in the southern section of the Parwan Valley, which is predominantly cleared agricultural land used for cropping and livestock grazing. Initial plans for a 70 turbine, 115MW capacity wind farm at the site were amended following concerns from local residents of the Parwan Valley about the potential impact on the wedge-tail eagle population and the visual amenity of the local area.

The revised project layout has been designed to reduce potential impacts on native vegetation, wedge tail eagles, Aboriginal cultural heritage, and the landscape.

The facility is one of the closest wind farms to Melbourne and is expected to create ongoing interest from both tourists and schools who want to learn more about this clean energy source.

The reduction in size of the wind farm also enables the export of the power generated into the local electricity network, via a short grid extension to the existing 66kV line located along Hamills Lane. This connection is screened by existing vegetation and has a minimal visual impact on native vegetation and cultural heritage.

Yaloak South community fund

The Yaloak South Community Fund has been established to share the benefits of Pacific Blue’s Yaloak South Wind Farm with the community. $31,000 will be available each year over the 25-year life of the project. Expressions of interest are invited for new members to join the Yaloak South Community Partnerships Group which has been empowered to decide how these funds should be allocated. 

Read more on the Yaloak South Community Fund page.

Bird and bat management

The following reports summarise the findings of the completed post-construction bird and bat monitoring at the Yaloak South Wind Farm in accordance with the approved Bat and Avifauna Management Plan (BAMP).