WestWind Energy will gain some additional muscle behind its pipeline of renewable energy projects with the addition of Shell as a partner.
Shell Energy Operations will take a 49% interest in wind farm developer WestWind in a move to grow and accelerate the company’s development of wind energy projects in Australia, according to a statement.
The partnerships intends to develop WestWind’s existing 3,000 megawatt (MW) pipeline of Australian renewable energy projects. That pipeline would cost about $4 billion to develop, Reuters said, citing WestWind Energy Australia Managing Director Tobias Geiger.
Shell and other traditional oil companies have been pushing greater amounts of future investment into renewable energy projects in an effort to mitigate the effects of climate change. The move into Australian wind marks a new horizon for the company.
“Our first wind investment in Australia is a significant step in our goal to build a low carbon integrated business in Australia, in line with our customers’ evolving energy needs,” Shell Australia Country Chair Tony Nunan said. “We are looking forward to working with WestWind to build a portfolio of wind projects to complement Shell’s investments over recent years across large scale solar, carbon trading and energy retailing.”
The new partnership will be entirely focussed on future projects, according to the statement. The Golden Plains Wind Farm will remain separately owned by WestWind with equity investor TagEnergy.
WestWind has almost two decades’ experience developing major wind energy projects in Victoria at Mt Mercer, Moorabool and Lal Lal and is currently developing Golden Plains Wind Farm, the largest wind farm project in Australia, together with TagEnergy.
