ENGIE welcomes CIS support for Willatook Wind Farm

ENGIE and its project partner Wind Prospect have welcomed the announcement that the proposed Willatook Wind Farm has been successful in the Australian Commonwealth Government’s Tender 7 of the Capacity Investment Scheme (CIS).

The Willatook Wind Farm is proposed near Orford in south-western Victoria, within the state’s South West Renewable Energy Zone. Wind Prospect is the originating developer of Willatook, while ENGIE holds an exclusive option to acquire the project company and is actively co-developing the project ahead of a potential full acquisition and delivery role.

ENGIE Australia’s Managing Director of Renewables and Batteries, Laura Caspari, said the Willatook Wind Farm is an important project for both ENGIE and Victoria.

“Willatook forms part of the replacement task for retiring thermal generation and proposes to use already-planned network investment in western Victoria. We welcome the backing of the Federal Government to continue momentum toward permitting and delivering this key asset,” said Ms Caspari.

ENGIE expects Willatook Wind Farm to reach financial close in 2027, with construction to follow and the project targeted for delivery in 2029. The project supports ENGIE’s strategic goal of delivering 3.5+GW of renewable and storage assets in Australia by 2030.

“The award of a CIS Agreement helps provide the momentum to accelerate investments like Willatook, and in turn deliver local employment opportunities, regional economic benefits, and long-term energy resilience,” said Ms Caspari.

Wind Prospect’s Managing Director Ben Purcell said “The award is recognition of the importance of the Willatook Wind Farm project to Victoria’s energy future and is a credit to the hard work by the Wind Prospect and ENGIE teams. This important step gets the project closer to contributing to the energy transition in Victoria and delivering substantial benefits to Victoria’s economy.”