COMMUNITYN E W S L E T T E R

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2 | ARARAT WINDFARM COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER AUGUST 2016 www.ararat-windfarm.com

CONSTRUCTION UPDATEEleven of the seventy five turbines have been erected to date and Ararat Wind Farm’s General Manager, Stuart Liddell is confident they will begin supplying power to the grid by September 2016.

To date project construction has achieved total completion of the 21.5km of transmission line and connection works to the grid via the 132/220kV transformer installed at Elmhurst by PowerCor Network Services. In addition, the project’s construction partner GE Downer have completed more than half of the 52km of internal access tracks.

The erection of the first turbines represents another critical point in the project development and showcases the potential of the renewables industry in Australia. The local community has been supportive of the project which is expected to inject almost $8 million into the local economy and currently employs more than 300 full time equivalent workers.

The Ararat Wind Farm has set up a community fund to support local causes and a total of $75,000 per annum will be contributed to three of the local council areas. The project is also committed to using local suppliers where possible. Once complete, the Ararat Wind Farm will be a world class project that plays a key part in Australia’s renewable energy future.

Valued at A$450 million, the erection of turbines indicates the project is on budget and schedule.

WHAT WE’VE ACHIEVED TO DATE Turbines Erected - 11 of 75

Transmission Lines - 100% completed and permanently energised

Tracks completed – 52% (more than half of the required 52km of internal roads)

30% of all wind turbine components have been delivered to site

KEY FACTS & FIGURESAUTUMN 2016 SHEE T 1

1 Ref: the homes equivalent has been calculated using the predicted annual electricity generation of the site and the annual averageelectricity consumption figure of 4900Wh for homes in Victoria (sourced from Acil Allen Consulting. March 2015. A Report to theAustralian Energy Regulator. Electricity Bill Benchmarks for Residential Customers.)

2 Ref: Clean Energy Council. July 2012. Wind Farm Investment,Employment And Carbon Abatement In Australia.

The project will employ approx. 165 workers during construction and 13 permanent staff once operational.

THE WIND FARM IS A$450 MILLIONDEVELOPMENT WITH AT LEAST $10 MILLION WORTH OF CONTRACTS TO DATE BEING AWARDED TOLOCAL & VICTORIANBUSINESSES

& THE ARARAT WIND FARM WORKFORCE IS EXPECTED TO INJECT

$7-8 MILLION INTO THE LOCAL COMMUNITY DURING THE TWO YEAR CONSTRUCTION PERIOD

165165 Will generate enough electricityto power around 120,000 HOMES per year1

The wind farm comprises

75 wind turbines - the third largest wind farm in Australia.

240MWTOTAL INSTALLED

CAPACITY

ARARAT WIND FARMHAS A DESIGNED

LIFE SPAN OF 25 YEARS

OFTRANSMISSION LINES

Annual payments of$75,000 to be paid into a communityfund when thewind farm begins generating energy.

DOES NOT EXCEED 40dBA WHICH EQUATES TO THEAMOUNT OF NOISE IN A LIBRARY. BIRD CALLS ARE 44dBA.

TIPHEIGHT135m

103mROTORDIAMETER

OFINTERNAL ROADS

52km21.5km

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ARARAT WINDFARM COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER AUGUST 2016 | 03www.ararat-windfarm.com

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIESBring on the Blades EventOn Wednesday 15th June, 2016, Ararat Wind Farm hosted a community event in Kokoda Park to mark the arrival of the turbine blades. The GE blades, manufactured in and shipped from Brazil were unloaded in Portland, Victoria and trucked up the Pyrenees Highway into Ararat.

The first of the impressive transport procession pulled up in Kokoda Park to enable community members to see the sheer size of these impressive wind turbine components. The event was attended by Victorian Premier, Daniel Andrews. Students from local schools participated in the event by preparing time capsules that captured their insights on environmental issues of today. Ararat College student Izzy Pope delivered a beautifully considered speech stating “A generation with a sustainable mindset will surely look for sustainable options in all things … specialist jobs will begin to emerge … opening up new opportunities for workers of all ages.”

“We can also look forward to a focus on greener innovations, as the world’s inventors have their attention drawn to the market value of sustainable alternatives.” she said.

Students from Ararat West Primary School provided entertainment with their “Jump Rope for Heart” demonstration whilst onlookers enjoyed the free BBQ provided with the assistance of the local Lions Club of Ararat.

Ararat College Site VisitArarat Wind Farm’s Communications Manager went back to school as a part of its community engagement program. VCAL students from Ararat College participated in an information session aimed at providing students with an introduction to the benefits of renewable energy and specifically the workings of a wind farm.

VCAL is the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning and provides Year 11 and 12 students with a hands-on learning option that provides flexibility to undertake a study program that suits students’ specific interest and needs.

“This is a great opportunity to engage with the next generation of workers and inform them of potential vocational opportunities available in a sustainable industry, right here in their back yard.” Tanya Jackson said.

“The details of the Ararat Wind Farm project provide a comprehensive source of information ranging from the way wind energy works to the logistics of transporting the 50m turbine blades to site. We welcome the chance to talk to community groups and hope they are as excited as we are about the development of this significant project here in Ararat.”

Geelong TAFE Site VisitSeven second year electrical trainees from St Joseph’s College in Geelong (Victoria) were recently treated to a personalised tour of the Ararat Wind Farm.

Accompanied by Jarrod Gore, their Vocational Education and Training (VET) coordinator, and Andy Heath, their teacher, the student trainees who are currently completing their Certificate II in Electrotechnology were excited to see first-hand what it was like working on a large-scale renewable project.

As part of the tour, Jason Donohue the Ararat Wind Farm’s Site Electrical Manager took the students through the 33/132 kV substation, 33 kV switch room and wind farm control room as well as a tour of the site’s electrical infrastructure connecting each wind turbine back to the substation. Jason answered all the questions they had on electrical work on a large scale renewable energy project.

“It was really great to get to meet the next generation of potential electrical workers and share in their obvious enthusiasm for renewable energy,” said Jason.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity for the trainees to experience the sheer scope and magnitude of work that is currently being undertaken at the Ararat Wind Farm,” said Andy Heath from St Joseph’s College.

04 | ARARAT WINDFARM COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER AUGUST 2016 www.ararat-windfarm.com

ELMHURSTSUBSTATION

1Wind force or kinetic energy contained in wind and moving air currents spins the blades from as slow as 11km/hr.

The voltage is increased at the substation from 33kV to 132kV for transmission to the electricity grid at Elmhurst.

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The terminal station at Elmhurst houses a 128 tonne 132/220kV transformer to convert power generated from Ararat Wind Farm for connection to the main electricity grid.

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Transformers within each turbine increase the voltage from 690V to 33kV. Underground cable transports this electricity to an onsite substation that houses two transformers.

WIND TURBINES

ELECTRICITY GRID

TRANSFORMERS

VOLTAGE

BLADES

Lift and rotate when hit by wind, causing the rotor to spin.

ROTOR

Combination of the blades and hub

YAW DRIVE

Controls turbines to orient them upwind should wind direction change

PITCH SYSTEM

Turns blades out of the wind to control rotor speed. Also stops the rotor from spinning in conditions where wind is blowing too slow or too fast.

TOWER

The base of the turbine, built to support the rest of the structure.

GENERATOR

Produces electricity within the turbine.

CONTROLLER

Starts and stops the turbine from working, depending on conditions.

HOW A TURBINE WORKS

AWF FACTS• Blades are 50m in length and weigh 9.5T each

• Each turbine’s gravity foundation consists of 350m3 of concrete, 35T of reinforcing steel (embedded 3m into the ground), 108 bolts and are 17m wide.

• Turbines are 135m to the top of the blade. This is referred to as tip height.

• The rotor diameter is 104m.

• The main assembly crane required to erect the turbines is a 600T class crane.

• Over 200,000m3 of material has been excavated on site to date.

• 62km of trenches are required for the electrical cables to carry electricity back to the onsite substation.

• 230km of single core electrical cable is required to connect the turbine generators to the substation.

• The project is spread over more than 5,000 ha of land

• 280,000T CO2 will be saved per annum once fully operational (compared to brown coal electricity generated)

• In operation the wind farm will not exceed 40dBa.

WANT MORE INFO?Freephone: 1800 738 807 or 02 8440 7400 to speak to a member of the team.

Or contact a site representative on 03 5359 4000.

Or visit our website: www.ararat-windfarm.com