Hydro Tasmania will invest $11.5 million in its Huxley Wind Farm, one of Australia’s oldest continuously working wind farms.
The wind farm is in King Island, which is located 80km off the north-west coast of Tasmania in Bass Strait and is not connected to a mainland electricity supply.
Hydro Tasmania said the wind farm was built in 1998 and is a vital part of the world-leading off-grid hybrid energy system that powers the entire island.
Hydro Tasmania Executive General Manager of Assets and Infrastructure, Jesse Clark, said the upgrades would extend the working life of its five wind turbines for at least ten years.
“King Island has been an early pioneer of renewable energy systems and a model for other remote communities in Australia and around the world,” Mr Clark said.
Hydro Tasmania said it is repowering the wind turbines rather than purchasing new units. This involves buying refurbished used equipment and reusing as many parts as possible.
“The repowering will provide an important example of how to effectively maintain and refurbish aging wind farms to reduce waste and cost,” Mr Clark said.
The wind turbines will be upgraded from the ground up, from the refurbishment of the foundations and towers to providing each of the wind turbines with a restored nacelle, which contains all the power generating components.
The nacelles were refurbished in Denmark and restoration of the original turbine blades is being carried out by Hydro Tasmania on site at King Island, giving existing parts new life and ensuring they don’t go to landfill.
Hydro Tasmania said the wind turbines work in harmony with a 5000-panel solar farm, a battery and diesel generators to create a hybrid energy system that provides continuous energy to King Island.
Before the system came into place, diesel powered the entire island 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Hydro Tasmania said the goal is to reduce King Island’s reliance on diesel and replace it with clean, renewable energy.
The wind farm’s two Vestas V52 wind turbines alone supply about 32 per cent of the island’s energy demand, replacing about 640,000L of diesel annually.
A new battery for the hybrid energy system is also included in the upgrades. The battery stores energy and balances out the peaks and troughs when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing.
Hydro Tasmania said extreme weather and logistics are just some of the challenges the project team faces day-to-day. Massive cranes are expected to be brought to the island via ship to lift the turbine parts into place.
“This is a complex project and it’s difficult to plan and execute in these weather conditions, but the team on King Island is highly skilled and prepared for the task,” Mr Clark said.
King Island Production Supervisor, Jeramy Whitehouse-Summers, said finding trained staff on an island with a population of 1,600 can be a challenge and the team puts a strong emphasis on collaboration.
“Team dynamics and making sure everyone is happy and working together is really important because lost knowledge is really hard to replace being in a remote area, especially with the high cost of living here,” Mr Whitehouse-Summers said.
“I’ve grown up in the community and have a great sense of community pride. Supplying power to the community is a great passion of mine, as it is for the rest of the team.”
The Huxley Hill Wind Farm refurbishment began in September 2024 and is expected to finish in 2027.
