Snowtown project shows wind costs below $80/MWh by Giles Parkinson

The ability of New Zealand company TrustPower to land a power purchase agreement for its proposed 270MW Snowtown 2 wind project in South Australia – the first significant PPA written in this country for a new-build wind farm for several years – basically comes down to the power of its wind resource.

While most Australian wind projects would need a PPA of $100-$110 to make a decent return for investors, it is thought that the PPA for Snowtown, signed by Origin Energy, is below $95/MWh, and may be below $90/MWh.