A major renewable energy development near Orange has flicked the switch to begin generating power.
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Three turbines at the Flyers Creek Wind Farm are now feeding into the grid. 18 are fully constructed.
When complete, the 6000-hectare facility owned by Spanish giant Iberdrola will comprise 38 turbines and have a maximum output of 145MW. It is located about 25 kilometres south of Orange.
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"[We] are proud to be operating in this amazing region our aim is to embed ourselves fully in the community," site manager Joshua Fitzgerald said in a statement.
"I have grown up in Orange and worked within the region for my career and .... I will be responsible for the operations of the wind farm.
"Last week Flyers Creek hit an exciting, milestone exporting first power into the NSW electricity grid .... Construction activity at the site is now in its advanced stages and we look forward to completing the project in the near future.
"We are delighted with the contribution that our new renewable projects make to the community, providing reliable, affordable green power and providing social, environmental and economic benefits to central western NSW."
The site will provide power to councils across the Central West as part of an agreement announced in 2022. Total output is equivalent to supply for 80,000 homes, potentially cutting carbon emissions by about 333,000 tonnes.
Alongside Cadia parent company Newcrest, Iberdrola Australia was a major sponsor of the cycling challenge through Orange last weekend.
Plans for a wind farm at the site emerged more than a decade ago and the project has gone through multiple parent companies. Construction commenced in March 2022.
Illegal clearing of an endangered species of eucalypt in February this year attracted controversy and a $15,000 fine from the NSW Department of Planning and Environment (DPE).
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