Forest Wind is a major clean energy infrastructure project proposal in Queensland.
Forest Wind is currently in the development phase.
Electricity generation
Forest Wind has the capacity to generate enough electricity to supply one in four Queensland homes with a local wind energy resource that blows in from the Pacific Ocean. That’s about half a million homes supplied by up to 1,200MW of power-generating capacity.
Location
Forest Wind is planned to be embedded in Australia’s largest exotic pine plantation, between Maryborough and Gympie, in the Wide Bay region of Queensland. The pine forest covers a very large 65km by 30km area, with the dense pine trees providing a natural buffer between Forest Wind and local residences.
The proposed 3,000m exclusion zone from residents to wind turbines is world leading by international standards, and double the distance required by Queensland Government regulations.
You can download a map of the Project area here.
Maps that show the proximity of the proposed to turbines to local communities are also available in the links below.
Project infrastructure
Turbines
Up to 226 wind turbines will be embedded in the pine forest, adjacent to existing forestry tracks.
Each turbine location will require a crane hard-standing and laydown area for the components, which will typically be around 1ha, subject to the turbine’s site characteristics.
Towers & foundations
A concrete foundation with a diameter of around 25-30m (subject to the ground conditions of the specific site) will be constructed within this area.
A tall tower, that will lift the generation unit above the pine trees to benefit from an increasing wind resource at that height, will be connected to the foundation.
The towers can be made from concrete, steel, or a concrete-steel hybrid, and tower heights of around 160m are currently being assessed.
A nacelle installed on top of the towers will connect to three rotor blades measuring around 85m long, creating a total diameter of up to 170m.
Tracks
The existing track network throughout the pine plantation will be used to access the turbine locations, with an underground and above-ground electrical reticulation system largely following these same tracks to a collector substation.
Transmission line
Electricity will be transmitted along a high-voltage electrical transmission line from the southwest corner of the wind farm to Powerlink Queensland’s Woolooga Substation, connecting to the National Electricity Market.
Construction and operations infrastructure will be required, including various forms of construction compounds.
Why here?
There are many important reasons why this site has been chosen:
Wind
Forest Wind's location is ideal to capture the south easterly prevailing wind blowing in from the Pacific Ocean onto the Queensland coast. Bureau of Meteorology data, global meteorological models and onsite wind data recordings have provided confidence in the wind resource, while also factoring in wind speeds, directions, changes of speed with height, and other meteorological factors.
Buffered by the plantation
The location has been carefully selected to avoid or largely mitigate potential community impacts on landscape, ecology and acoustic amenity. The separation distance of at least 3,000m between turbines and residents is double Queensland's wind farm state code requirements.
Electricity demand and grid connection
Forest Wind will connect directly into the southeast Queensland grid, feeding into one of Australia's largest and fastest-growing electricity demand centres.
Areas such as the Sunshine Coast are growing rapidly and can now look forward to a low-cost, local supply of clean electricity delivered through Queensland's transmission system.
Local people and industry
Wide Bay has a capable and available workforce, with a wide range of skills in earth moving, concreting, trucking, cranes, rail, engineering and project management.
To build a site of 226 turbines, hundreds of people in the Wide Bay and surrounding regions will have an opportunity to secure work over the two- to three-year construction phase. Around 50 people will be required for the operational phase.
Industry access
The location provides convenient access to local resources, including people, minerals for construction, services, and transportation infrastructure.