Operations begin at wind farm in Hawkesdale, Victoria, backed by Amazon
- Hawkesdale Wind Farm, located in South West Victoria, is now commercially operational and forecasted to generate enough renewable energy to power the equivalent of an estimated 67,000 Victorian homes each year
MELBOURNE, Australia – January 28th 2025 – Today, Amazon and Global Power Generation (GPG), the international energy generation arm of Spain-based multinational Naturgy Energy Group (Naturgy), announced that the Hawkesdale Wind Farm – a 97-megawatt (MW) renewable energy project enabled by Amazon has reached commercial operation. This comes as Bloomberg NEF recognises Amazon as the top corporate purchaser of renewable energy globally, for the fifth year in a row.
Located 30 kilometres north-west of Warrnambool, Victoria, the Hawkesdale wind farm comprises of 23 turbines, expected to generate 337,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) of carbon-free energy annually - enough to power the equivalent of an estimated 67,000 Australian homes each year.
“Amazon is committed to driving the carbon-free energy transition forward, both to advance our Climate Pledge goals, and support Australia’s transition to more sustainable energy sources,” said Michael Cooley, Director of Public Policy, Amazon Australia. “As global energy demands continue to grow, we’re focused on bringing new sources of solar and wind energy to the country, which will help support our operations, as well as the communities where our customers live and work. That’s why we’ve invested in more than 600 solar and wind projects globally and have been named the top corporate purchaser of renewable energy globally for the fifth year in a row.”
Hawkesdale Wind Farm: A Key Contribution to Victoria’s Renewable Energy Goals
The Hawkesdale Wind Farm is owned and operated by GPG Australia and represents a significant addition to Victoria’s renewable energy portfolio, aligning with the Victorian Government’s recently revised targets of 40 per cent renewable energy by 2025, 65 per cent by 2030, and 95 per cent by 2035.
“We are thrilled to reach this significant milestone with the Hawkesdale Wind Farm reaching its operational phase,” said Shahmir Mohajerani, Head of Development, Asia Pacific, GPG Australia. “This project, in collaboration with Amazon, exemplifies our mutual commitment to advancing renewable energy development in Australia. By harnessing the wind resources in Victoria, we are not only producing clean energy but also helping the state achieve its ambitious renewable energy targets, while creating new economic opportunities for the local community.”
Sheena Watt MLC, Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Action, praised the project, saying: "Hawkesdale Wind Farm will strengthen our grid with more reliable, renewable energy. In doing so, it will help us take the critical action necessary to meet our nation-leading emissions reductions targets.”
“Victoria now has more than 4.7 gigawatts of operating wind capacity across 42 projects,” she added. “Another two projects are under construction, a further seven are approved for construction, and many more are in earlier stages. We have created and are committed to maintaining a policy landscape that secures our energy future.”
“The renewable energy transition is bringing with it the jobs of the future that will support the communities around them. These projects have supported local jobs in the Moyne Shire – and will continue to – with priority given, when possible, to local content by using local contractors, suppliers and manufacturers.”
The wind farm's construction supported 167 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs, and now that it is operational, 6 permanent roles will be maintained.
A standout feature of the Hawkesdale Wind Farm project is the innovative use of helicopters for stringing transmission lines. This method was chosen to ensure the project respected native vegetation and cultural heritage sites. The technique also proved to be time-efficient and cost-effective, further demonstrating GPG and Amazon’s commitment to community-conscious project development.
Amazon’s Renewable Energy Investments
The Hawkesdale project is the first utility-scale renewable energy project that Amazon enabled in Victoria. Amazon’s other projects include two operational solar farms in Suntop and Gunnedah in New South Wales, an operational solar farm in Woleebee, Queensland, and four rooftop solar projects on Amazon facilities in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth. Altogether, once operational, the projects are estimated to generate more than one million megawatt-hours (MWh) of carbon-free energy annually – or enough capacity to power an estimated 175,000 Australian homes each year.
Amazon is the co-founder of and the first signatory to The Climate Pledge, a commitment to reach net-zero carbon across its operations by 2040. Amazon is proud to have met its 100% renewable energy goal seven years early in 2023, and has invested in more than 600 renewable energy projects globally, which have enough capacity to power the equivalent of an estimated 8.3 million US homes. The renewable energy projects Amazon supports not only help to match the electricity consumed by its operations, but also provides new sources carbon-free energy to the local communities where its customers, vendors, and employees live and work. They also help create jobs, support local businesses, and boost the local tax base, which are all part of Amazon’s commitment to become a more sustainable company.
Learn more about Amazon’s renewable energy projects
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About Amazon
Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Amazon strives to be Earth’s Most Customer-Centric Company, Earth’s Best Employer, and Earth’s Safest Place to Work. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalised recommendations, Prime, Fulfilment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Career Choice, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, Alexa, Just Walk Out technology, Amazon Studios, and The Climate Pledge are some of the things pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews.
About GPG and its parent company Naturgy Energy Group
Global Power Generation (GPG) is the international energy generation arm of Spain-based multinational Naturgy Energy Group (Naturgy). GPG has accumulated extensive experience developing over 4GW of power generation projects in 9 countries across the world and currently employs around 520 people worldwide.
Naturgy Energy Group, parent company of GPG, is a pioneering multinational group in gas and electricity integration, operating in more than 20 countries, with 16 million customers, . As of 2023, the Group has an installed capacity of 17 GW.
Learn more about GPG.