AUSTRALIA's largest ever wind farm is set to be built in the Traprock region of South East Queensland, generating clean electricity to power about 700,000 homes.
To be built by Acciona, construction on the 1026MW MacIntyre Wind Farm spanning 36,000 hectares of leased country is scheduled to begin start in mid-2021 and be fully operational in 2024.
Existing grazing operations will continue under the wind farm.
Acciona has also reached an agreement with the Queensland Government renewable energy generator CleanCo, which will own and operate a 100MW wind farm within the MacIntyre complex.
Macintyre's 1026MW capacity will generate clean electricity to power about 700,000 homes and avoid the emission of nearly 3 million tonnes of CO2 a year.
The complex will consist of 180 Nordex Group's Delta4000 turbines, each with a capacity of up to 5.7MW, which are the latest generation of turbines launched by the German manufacturer.
Deputy Premier Jackie Trad said for the next few months, the entire focus of the Queensland Government was on protecting Queenslanders' health, Queensland jobs and Queensland businesses.
"But when we move into the recovery phase, we need shovel-ready projects that will support more jobs in more industries, especially in regional Queensland," Ms Trad said.
"This is what CleanCo is all about - building, owning and operating a wind farm of 18 turbines with the capacity to generate up to 100 megawatts of new renewable energy."
CleanCo would also buy a further 400 megawatts of renewable energy from Acciona, Ms Trad said.
Energy Minister Anthony Lynham said the wind farm was expected to be progressively connected to Queensland's energy grid from 2022, with 64km of new powerlines connecting the wind farm to Queensland's electricity network at Millmerran.
"State-owned Powerlink has already commenced working on the connection of the project to the grid, which on its own will support up to 240 jobs," Dr Lynham said.
Acciona Australia Energy managing director Brett Wickham said Acciona was excited to be working with CleanCo to deliver one of the largest onshore wind farms in the southern hemisphere.
"In addition to generating up to 400 jobs over its lifetime, a Community Enhancement Program will be established to deliver added value to the local community.
"The project is scheduled to begin construction in mid-2021, with a gradual start-up in phases to ensure connection to the grid with full technical guarantees for the state's electricity system."