About

Mount Emerald Wind Farm comprises 53 wind turbines and is located 5km west of Walkamin in Far North Queensland.

The wind farm is built on a plateau around 2km north of Mount Emerald and generates an average of 500 KWh of safe, clean, renewable electricity every year for its 25-year operating life.

Two models of wind turbine are used at this site:

• 37 x 3.45MW capacity turbines measuring 148.5m to the tip of the blade
• 16 x 3.3MW capacity turbines with a total height to the blade tip of 140m

With an installed capacity of 180.5MW, Mount Emerald was Queensland’s largest wind farm when it began generating power in late 2018.

The turbines are located away from Northern Quoll habitats and some were removed from prominent ridgelines to minimise visual and cultural heritage effects while still allowing the wind farm to generate a significant quantity of much-needed renewable electricity.

The project also includes:

• 35km of new site roads – needed to bring the turbines onto site from Cairns, for maintenance access during their working lives, as well as when the turbines are decommissioned
• New substation to connect the power generated by the turbines to the local National Electricity Market
• Control room for operations and maintenance staff

RATCH-Australia, the project’s developer, owner and operator, will contribute $200,000 every year of the wind farm’s working life to support good causes in the local area through the Community Benefit Fund.

We are fortunate to have a committed group of local representatives on our Advisory Committee who assess and recommend worthy projects for funding from the Community Benefit Fund

More information on the Community Benefit Fund, including how to apply for a grant, can be found here.