THE first shipment of components for Bango Wind Farm in the New South Wales Southern Tablelands recently arrived at Port Kembla.
In total, 46 of General Electric’s Cypress 5.3MW turbines are to be imported through Port Kembla during the next six months.
The wind turbine components are to be stored on berth at the AAT facility before being transported by truck by heavy haulage operator, Rex J Andrews to the project site, about 30km north of Yass.
Upon arrival, each turbine is to be assembled to its full height of 125 metres.
The Bango Wind Farm is one of the energy developments under construction across the state as the government there pushes to cut its carbon footprint.
NSW Ports CEO Marika Calfas said Port Kembla was a leader in the handling of large and heavy project cargo.
“Port Kembla’s AAT facility is equipped with hardstand and specialised equipment, machinery, cargo handling expertise and has ample on-dock storage capability,” Ms Calfas said.
“We are proud to work with our partners in the supply chain to support these important renewable energy projects for our state. With the addition of the Bango wind turbines, Port Kembla will have helped facilitate the import of 274 wind turbines for nine wind farms in NSW,” she said.
“This important trade is only possible because of the work of stevedores and specialist heavy haul logistics providers, who have the complex task of discharging the oversized cargo from the vessel and transporting them to the wind farms across regional New South Wales.”
GE Renewable Energy Onshore Wind regional leader and head of projects for ANZ, Leo Cooper, said the company selected Port Kembla because of its close proximity to the project site, availability of storage space and the ease of working with all parties in the supply chain.
Rex J Andrews, operations manager Warrick Andrews, said the transport operator was proud to be contributing to the take-up of renewable energy.
“The Rex J Andrews team has partnered with the NSW Ports team at Port Kembla to offer flexible, tailored logistics services that support the supply chain needs of large-scale infrastructure projects,” Mr Andrews said.
When complete, the Bango Wind Farm promises to deliver capacity of 244MW – enough energy to power over 100,000 homes – every year.
