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Entura helps deliver a major life extension for King Island’s wind turbines 

17 March, 2025

Entura is proud to have played an important role in giving Australia’s oldest continuously working wind farm a new lease on life. 

The first wind turbines at the Huxley Hill wind farm on King Island were 3 Nordex N29 250 kW turbines built in 1998. Two Vestas V52 850 kW turbines were added in 2003. The hybrid power system for the isolated island also includes a lead-acid battery, 2 flywheels, and a dynamic resistor – and a solar farm was commissioned in 2024. These generating and storage components are integrated and managed via an advanced hybrid control system. 

In 2021, Entura was engaged by Hydro Tasmania to conduct a feasibility study for redevelopment of the wind farm, as the three Nordex N29 250 kW wind turbines had nearly reached end of life and the two Vestas V52 850 kW wind turbines were expected to reach end of life in 2028.  

Entura supported Hydro Tasmania by investigating the potential wind, solar PV and energy storage options to replace the current system, including the most appropriate replacement or refurbishment options for the old turbines. This included considering changing patterns of demand and undertaking techno-commercial modelling and a planning assessment.  

Finding a solution for the turbines was challenging, given the complex task of getting such large components and cranes to the remote, wind-blasted island.  

To extend the life of the plant, in 2022 Hydro Tasmania embarked on replacing the nacelle of one of the oldest wind turbines. Entura has managed the works on behalf of Hydro Tasmania including procuring the new nacelle, engaging contractors and coordinating activities including tower condition assessment and survey, and the installation contractor’s works.  

As of March 2025, the three Nordex N29 250 kW wind turbines have been replaced with new nacelles and work is underway to refurbish the two Vestas V52 850 kW wind turbines. These upgrades to the wind turbines are expected to give the wind farm 15 or more years of life. 

King Island’s renewable energy and storage journey 

The wind turbines are a key part of the clean energy picture on King Island. Until the late 1990s, the remote island was powered solely by diesel generation. Now, the community’s electricity needs can be served entirely by renewable energy when conditions allow.  

King Island’s hybrid renewable power system has evolved from the King Island Renewable Integration Project (KIREIP), which was an initiative of Hydro Tasmania with funding assistance provided by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency. It was the first megawatt-class off-grid system with this capability in the world. 

Entura worked closely with Hydro Tasmania to deliver specialist consulting services for KIREIP, playing a key role in designing and implementing the system. As well as our work on the original KIREIP project and recent improvements at the Huxley Hill Wind Farm, Entura undertook the project management and tender process for the King Island Huxley Hill Solar Farm, including coordinating the interfaces between parties, monitoring the contractor’s performance and commissioning the solar farm.  

A complex chapter ahead for older wind farms 

Entura is pleased to be at the forefront of finding practical and sustainable solutions to the challenges of older wind farms. 

“Given that wind farms usually have a design life of anywhere between 15 and 30 years, Australia’s earliest wind farms are now reaching retirement age, so we’ll be seeing many more wind farms beginning to grapple with the options to decommission, rejuvenate or repower,” said Dr Andrew Wright, Entura’s Senior Principal, Renewables and Energy Storage. 

“We suggest that wind farm owners act now to deepen their understanding of the condition and present value of their assets, and explore the full range of short-term and long-term options available through a feasibility and options study. In such a dynamic market and technology landscape, and with the potential for aging assets to deteriorate or fail, it’s never too early to start assessing all the implications and possibilities.” 

Read more about Entura’s work on King Island, including the KIREIP project, Huxley Hill Wind Farm and Huxley Hill Solar Farm.  

Also read more of Andrew Wright’s thinking about the lives of wind farms in his thought leadership article ‘Breathing new life into Australia’s aging wind farms’. 

The Huxley Hill wind turbine refurbishments were covered recently in this RenewEconomy article.