The FINANCIAL — PERTH, AUSTRALIA—June 20, 2011—A consortium including GE and Australian company Leighton Contractors has received a $130 million contract to supply and install 22 GE 2.5-100 wind turbines for the Mumbida Wind Farm.
The project, located 40 kilometers southeast of Geraldton, marks the first use of GE wind turbines in the Australia/New Zealand region.
The Mumbida Wind Farm is a 50/50 partnership between Verve Energy, a Western Australia government-owned utility, and Macquarie Capital. The wind farm will generate 55 megawatts of renewable electricity for the South West Interconnected System, which the partnership estimates to be enough energy to power approximately 35,000 homes and offset about 165,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year. The Mumbida Wind Farm will support the Western Australian government’s Energy 2031 Strategy that is designed to meet the state’s rapidly growing energy requirements with clean, reliable power.
“As our first wind project in the region, this is a significant milestone for GE,” said Tim Rourke, CEO of GE Energy, Australia and New Zealand. “We are pleased to be playing an active role in the renewable energy market and in the nation’s endeavors to reduce its carbon footprint. We look forward to working with the Verve Energy and Macquarie Capital joint venture to provide the advanced technology that will deliver renewable electricity into the Southwest.”
The GE 2.5 series wind turbine is designed for a high level of reliability and offers advanced grid integration features. “With these capabilities, the 2.5-100 wind turbine can take maximum advantage of the exceptional wind resources in Western Australia. It is a natural fit with the requirements for long-term renewable energy supply in the region,” he added.
Designed to yield the highest annual energy production in their class, GE’s 2.5-100 wind turbines have logged more than 2.3 million operating hours in Europe and Asia and have been selected for the world’s largest wind project, Shepherds Flat in Oregon, U.S.A. In addition to supplying the wind turbines for the Mumbida Wind Farm, GE will provide a full range of maintenance services for 10 years.
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