On 2^nd December 2021, GPG Australia hosted a virtual presentation to welcome local community members interested in knowing more about the status of the 58MW Crookwell 3 wind farm, GPG’s sixth wind farm under development in Australia. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing guidance, this Stakeholder Update was held virtually, via an online webinar.

GPG Australia team members were joined by colleagues in Spain, A Telstra representative also joined the event to explain the company’s renewable energy goals and decision to procure 80% of the energy generated by the Crookwell 3 wind farm.

During the webinar, GPG Australia informed participants that the wind farm is designed to generate enough clean energy to power 40,000 households and avoid the equivalent of over 200,000 tons of carbon emissions annually. The company will invest approximately AUD120 million to develop the wind farm and expects to generate around 40 direct jobs during construction and 6 ongoing jobs to support ongoing operations. Construction is expected to commence in the first quarter of 2022 and the wind farm is projected to be completed and enter into commercial operations in 2023.

Jo Marshall, GPG Australia’s Community Engagement Officer for the Crookwell 3 wind farm, also shared information about the company’s community engagement and benefit sharing plan, designed to support social and economic development in the region. Following the presentation, GPG representatives answered questions raised by participants.

“The virtual presentation is an important initiative to help ensure that we remain engaged and transparent with our host community around the Crookwell 3 wind farm,” said Guillermo Alonso, GPG Australia’s Project Development Director. “We look forward to hosting an in-person community open day to engage with even more community members in the new year.”