Mumbida gives tourists a wind energy close up
/With a quiet, sweeping whoosh, a new tourist attraction with some considerable drawing power has been added to Geraldton’s already diverse choice of things to see. Thanks to the generosity of Mumbida Wind Farm, visitors can now get up close and personal to a massive wind turbine blade, complete with interpretive signage and information for the statistics buffs, at the City of Greater Geraldton’s Renewable Energy Hub located on the crest of the escarpment on the Walkaway-Nangetty Road.
Mumbida Wind Farm representatives officially handed over their contributions to the visitor hub to the City of Greater Geraldton yesterday (Tuesday July 8).
Hugh Webster, General Manager of Mumbida Wind Farm, said he was pleased to be able to donate the blade and interpretive signage for visitors to enjoy.
City Mayor, Ian Carpenter, thanked Mumbida for their generosity in donating theblade and signage.
“Wind farms generally attract a lot of interest and it is wonderful to have this hub for visitors to get this close to a blade and realise their true size and discover more about how wind farms operate,” he said.
Mumbida Wind Farm is a 55 MW renewable energy project developed by joint venture partners Synergy and Infrastructure Capital Group. The wind farm, located 40km south east of Geraldton, consists of 22 turbines which stand 85 metres tall, dotted across the undulating landscape. The Water Corporation purchases 100 per cent of the renewable energy generated by Mumbida Wind Farm to offset the energy requirements of the Southern Seawater Desalination Plant.
Mumbida Wind Farm was officially opened on September 27, 2013 with a total project cost of $200 million. The blades are made of composite fibreglass, weigh 9.5 tonnes and are 48.7 metres in length.
