Australia: Planning Approval for 282 Wind Turbines

EPURON reaches key milestone for the largest wind project in the Southern Hemisphere

Hamburg, 10 June 2009: Conergy subsidiary EPURON GmbH has taken a significant step toward realisation of the biggest wind farm in Australia: on 3 June 2009, the government of New South Wales granted an approval for the first phase of the Silverton Wind Farm. The planning approval covers the installation of 282 wind turbines, which would generate enough energy to supply electricity to 200,000 households, near Silverton in far western New South Wales.

“The approval is another milestone on the way to realisation of this megaproject, which is certainly one of the highlights in EPURON's 10-year history”, says Joachim Müller, Managing Director at EPURON GmbH. “The Silverton Wind Farm joint venture will now take the next steps, namely to organise the power purchase agreements and the financing.”

The second phase of Silverton Wind Farm comprises another 316 wind turbines and is also in the approval process. With 598 turbines in total, Silverton Wind Farm could ultimately cover around 4.5 percent of New South Wales' energy requirements. According to Nathan Rees, Premier of New South Wales, this means that the wind farm is to assume a key role in this state's energy supply. With construction and operation of the project bringing around hundreds of new jobs, Rees also welcomes the positive effects on the regional economy.

“During project development, we have been in contact with the government of New South Wales from the very beginning – and we would now like to thank everyone who has supported us so far. We recognise the support of the local residents and broader community, as well as the positive contribution from the Government of New South Wales”, says Martin Poole, Managing Director at EPURON Australia. “We can all be proud of having contributed to what is currently the largest wind project in the Southern Hemisphere.”

Silverton Wind Farm is a joint venture between EPURON Pty Ltd and Macquarie Capital Wind Fund Pty Ltd, a Macquarie managed fund jointly owned by Macquarie Capital Group Ltd and a subsidiary of Martifer Groupspecifically for the development of the Silverton project.