The annual Rokewood Community Easter Event was held in early April and once again the support from the community was fantastic!
Held at the Rokewood Recreation Reserve, the community were treated to some fabulous weather and a range of activities and offerings that certainly got us into the Easter spirit Although the weather was very warm and windy, hundreds of people turned out to enjoy games, giveaways, music, coffee and of course the Easter themed activities, eggs and a visit from Easter Bunny
A huge thanks to the Rokewood Golf Club and other local organisations involved in the delivery of the event, and to the Rokewood Recreation Committee for allowing us to utilise this amazing space If you haven’t been down to check out the upgraded facilities and the ongoing works, make sure you do. It’s a wonderful asset for the community
COMMUNITY BENEFIT PROGRAMS
FREE ENERGY AUDIT
Eligible customers can receive a free energy audit as part of the benefits program
These will be conducted by Ephe, and an experienced assessor will visit your home to evaluate energy performance and provide energy assessments that are designed to understand how your home uses energy.
The audit will result in tailored recommendations to help reduce energy consumption in your home.
COMMITTED TO DELIVERING LOCAL BENEFITS
Golden Plains Wind Farm is committed to sharing the benefits of the project with the local community
Over the past few years, the Golden Plains Wind Farm team have been working closely with landholders, immediate neighbours, and the wider community to identify opportunities to share the benefits of the project These collaborations have led to the creation of a series of community benefit programs that respond to the needs and opportunities that the community has communicated as being the most valuable.
We encourage you to contact the engagement team from the Golden Plains Wind Farm team with any questions about our community programs via phone on 0460 304 053 or email at info@goldenplainswindfarm com au
COMMUNITY ENERGY PROGRAM
Our Community Energy Program provides electricity benefits to neighbours of the wind farm while minimising the local communities’ carbon footprint The Community Energy Program includes a scheme to offset electricity costs for registered and habitable dwellings located within 3km of a constructed turbine tower, to an amount equal to the annual usage of an average Victorian home
Participants will be required to sign-up w Golden Plains Wind Farm’s preferred ret participants have processed a change t credits will be added to their account m electricity bills
OFFSITE LANDSCAPING PROGRAM
Owners of residential dwellings that have a view of the Golden Plains Wind Farm and are located within 5km of a wind turbine are invited to participate in our Landscaping Program. This voluntary program is now available for eligible residents Please contact the team via info@goldenplainswindfarm com au to book your initial assessment now, or contact the team on 0460 304 053 to discuss in more detail.
Construction update - East
With 93 (of 122) turbines now fully erected (rotor installed), the process of progressive turbine energisation continues through the various hold points required by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) to bring the entire wind farm online
A major milestone recently achieved was the completion of all turbine component deliveries to site. With all 1,464 components now on site, we want to take this opportunity to recognise this huge achievement by Vestas and their main inland transport contractor, Rex Andrews All key civil works and electrical works are now also complete - including grouting of tower bases and all cable terminations (with only some communication cable splicing works within the towers remaining)
Following the ongoing turbine energisation process, final remediation and punch listing is now well underway across the site. The first set of 30 turbines has been handed over to the Vestas operational team who are now permanently located at the office / warehouse complex constructed on Geggies Road
Wind Turbine Progress
Construction update - West
Golden Plains Wind Farm – West (GPWF-W) is continuing to take shape, seeing progress on civil and electrical works across most of the site Work at the 3 substations for GPWF-W is progressing well in addition to installation of the 220kV OHL also well underway The port of Geelong has received the first components and site is preparing for the first delivery in May.
Civil progress: The civil balance of plant works h 41 of the 93 foundation locations, being fully com accept turbine components. Of the 93 foundatio remaining to excavate.
Deliveries and installation: Anchor cage deliveri cages for the project now on-site. Delivery of inf plant work ramped up during the period, seeing large amount of underground cabling and main primary equipment delivered to site
Main component deliveries are expected to commence towards the end of May with preinstallation works expected to commence as early as June.
Electrical and grid progress: The electrical balance of plant works made good progress during the period, with all 3 of the collector stations now having the bulk of their civil works completed The Overhead transmission line (OHL), linking the Eastern and the Western stages of the project together has also progressed well, with all 64 foundations being poured and 12 poles now fully erected ready for stringing The underground cable work is now very well progressed, with 44.75km (of 110km) completed. Favourable ground conditions and dry weather continue to facilitate progress for the contractors
While, a wind turbine consists of five primary components (tower, rotor, hub, nacelle and blades) there are approximately 8,000 different individual parts that comprise a completed turbine?
Images: one of the 51 completed foundation pours on GPWF-W
Progress Snapshot - West
79 wind turbine sites excavated
0 wind turbine blades installed (six sets)
68 sets of anchor cages installed
Steel reinforcement installed in 57 foundations
51 foundation concrete pours complete
42 foundations now backfilled
3
> 40,000m of concrete has been used on site
> 500,000 tonnes of rock have been utilised to date
Components at Site (as at 14 May 2025)
Images:
Transportation of Wind Turbine Components
Golden Plains Wind Farm – West (Stage 2) is now under construction. When both stages are complete, it will be Australia’s largest wind farm –able to produce enough clean energy to power 750,000 households.
From late May, wind turbine and tower components will be taken by truck from GeelongPort to the project site near Rokewood.
Depending on which component is being moved, trucks can travel along one of 3 possible routes through Geelong See the below map for more information Due to their size and speed, the trucks have potential to impact traffic
To minimise this, they will leave GeelongPort very early in the morning to avoid peak traffic. Trucks will be escorted by safety vehicles and we do not expect any road closures will be required.
Please scan the QR code or visit goldenplainswindfarm.com.au/ traffic-and-road-updates for more information.
Route from GeelongPort to Golden Plains Wind Farm - West
(90 4km):
(79 8km):
In The News
One of Australia’s oldest wind farms turns 20 today, and will live on for another decade
The 46 megawatt (MW) Canunda wind farm in South Australia – one of the oldest in the country – is celebrating its 20th birthday today (Monday, March 31), and its owners and operators say it will live on for at least another decade.
The Engie-owned wind farm was completed in 2005 with 2MW turbines, relatively small by today’s standards but which were some of the largest in Australia at the time. It was given a 20-year life, but it is now expected to last another 10 years, before a decision is made about either decommission the project, or repowering it with bigger and more efficient modern turbines
