Victorian Premier Denis Napthine has officially opened the Southern Hemisphere’s largest wind farm in Macarthur, in the state’s west.

The $1 billion AGL/Meridian joint venture will generate 420 MW per year, and will power over 220,000 Victorian homes and abate more than 1.7 million tonnes of greenhouse gases per year – the equivalent of taking more than 420,000 cars off the road.

AGL’s Managing Director, Michael Fraser, praised the work on the farm and the broader commitment from political parties and local communities.

“This project has been made possible because of strong bi-partisan political support for Australia’s 2020 Renewable Energy Target.  Projects like this also don’t happen without support from all levels of government, in this case including support from federal, state and local governments,” Mr Fraser said.

 Premier Napthine said: “It is particularly pleasing that a significant number of the towers used for this project were constructed locally in Portland by Keppel Prince Engineering.”

Federal Minister for Resources and Energy, Mr Gary Gray, has also congratulated AGL, its joint venture partner Meridian and all the contractors and sub-contractors who have seen this project through to fruition.

“The Macarthur Wind Farm is a major investment in clean, renewable Australian energy and in the social and economic development of this community,” said Mr Gray.

“With a project value of about $1 billion, it is the largest wind farm in the entire Southern Hemisphere. It will also provide 20 full-time jobs for local residents, which comes in addition to the many more it created during construction.”

Mr Gray also said that projects like the Macarthur Wind Farm would ensure that Australia is on track to meet the Renewable Energy Target, under which a minimum 20 per cent of our electricity generation will be from renewable sources by 2020.