Windlab Ltd’s (ASX:WND) 25%-owned 31 megawatt (MW) Kiata Wind Farm in Victoria has been officially opened by the Victorian Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, Lily D’Ambrosio.
The project recently achieved full commercial operations, following a successful phase of commissioning and performance testing during November and December 2017.
The opening was attended by project staff, landowners, and many of the project’s local community shareholders, who received equity under Windlab’s pioneering community shareholding model.
Kiata is located near Nhill and comprises nine 3.45 MW wind turbines at a hub height of 117 metres.
The project is already supplying to the national electricity market
Even though under commission conditions during November/December, Kiata was among the best performing wind farms measured by capacity factor, operating across the national electricity market.
Notably, it is the first project to be completed under the Victorian Government’s Large-Scale Generation Certificates (LGC) procurement scheme.
Under this arrangement the wind farm sells most of the LGCs generated from the project to the Victorian Government under a fixed price 5-year contract.
Achieving prices well in excess of feasibility model forecasts
Kiata was connected to the electricity network in early November and has sold all electricity into the spot merchant market since that time, achieving prices well in excess of the projects original feasibility model forecasts.
All electricity generated is expected to be sold on the same basis.
Meanwhile, Windlab has started construction of a utility scale wind, solar and storage hybrid generator connected to the national electricity network in north Queensland.