The contract to deliver the engineering, procurement and construction of the Kennedy Energy Park in Queensland has been awarded to a consortium.
A consortium between Vestas and Quanta Services has won the contract and is expecting to have the park in operation by the end of 2018.
The partnership has announced the final details of a project that will help accelerate the transition to an energy mix led by renewable energy, and aims to provide even more reliable and consistent renewable energy production adapted to energy demand and grid requirements.
Developed by Australia’s international renewable energy company, Windlab, the innovative 60.2MW Kennedy Energy Park phase one is the world’s first utility-scale, on-grid wind, solar and battery energy storage project.
Designed to supply consistent and reliable renewable electricity that can help meet power demand in Australia, Kennedy phase one can also shape a path forward for how Australia and other countries can integrate more renewable energy into the energy mix and address grid stability challenges that have been a traditional restraint to greater uptake of renewable energy.
The project is located in Flinders Shire in central north Queensland, which has world-class wind and solar resources. Phase one will feature 43.2MW of Vestas’ V136-3.6MW wind turbines, 15MW of solar and 2MW/4MWh Li Ion battery storage.
In order to support further hybrid projects in Australia, Windlab will share the knowledge and experience from building and operating phase one through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).
Windlab CEO, Roger Price, said, “Kennedy pase one is a first of its kind of project in Australia and it will lead the nation in the deployment of innovative, high reliability renewable energy capable of closely matching network power demand.
“We have a great working relationship with Vestas, whose products and service capabilities were instrumental in managing challenging grid connections and compliance, and develop a competitive cost of energy.”
Through the complimentary combination of wind and solar energy, phase one can deliver a more constant and demand-driven energy production and increased capacity factor. The Vestas control system will provide the capability for wind and solar to work together as an integrated power plant and comply with grid requirements.
Johnny Thomsen, Senior Vice President, Product Management for Vestas, said, “We are grateful for the opportunity to join Windlab on this project, which places Vestas at the forefront of sustainable energy solutions, and is a testament to how we are providing solutions that make renewable energy more cost-competitive and grid compliant.
Clive Turton, President of Vestas Asia Pacific, said, “Hybrid solutions combining wind, solar and storage hold a huge potential for Australia. Kennedy phase one has the potential to leverage Australia’s abundant renewable energy resources and be a giant leap forward for the country in reaping those resources while ensuring a consistent and reliable electricity supply.
The project is planned to be the first phase of Windlab’s larger 1,200MW Kennedy Energy Park, which seeks to deliver significant benefits to north Queensland and Australia in reduced emissions and sustainable energy generation.
