Albany 2026: Albany wind farm a leading green energy project turned popular tourist attraction over the years

The Albany Grasmere wind farm, standing tall on the Torndirrup Peninsula, has become practical renewable energy infrastructure as well as a popular tourist attraction in its two decades of operation.

The long line of 18 turbines stands guard over the rugged Great Southern coastline, about 80m above Sandpatch Beach on the outskirts of Albany, about 10km outside of the town centre.

The wind farm was commissioned in 2001, and at the time was the largest in the country, leading Australia’s future in wind energy.

It was built in two stages: the first 12 turbines in 2001, and another six added in 2011.

When the second phase was completed, the wind farm supplied an average of 80 per cent of Albany’s electricity, enough to offset more than 40,000 tonnes of CO2, according to the energy minister of the day, Peter Collier.

It is now owned and run as a joint venture between Synergy and Potentia Energy, known together as Bright Energy Investments.

The German-made Enercon E66 turbines, which stand at 65m high with 35m-long blades, were also the largest in the Southern Hemisphere when the farm was commissioned in 2001.

While Salmon Beach wind farm near Esperance was the first built in the country, having commissioned its six turbines in 1987, Albany’s stood as the largest for several years.

However, its claim to fame was short-lived, with the Grasmere facility’s ageing technology meaning it was no longer the biggest of its kind.

Today, the Warradarge wind farm near Eneabba in the Mid West is Australia’s largest with more than 50 turbines, generating 283MW of power compared to Albany’s 35MW.

Up close, the sound and sheer size of the turbines are still intimidating.

When you climb the hill behind them or walk down to the edge of the high ridge overlooking Sandpatch, you can understand why the site was chosen for a wind farm as the wind buffets off the vast southern ocean.

According to Synergy, there are only seven days per year on average where there is not enough wind to turn the blades and generate electricity.

The big white structures have bec

ome a staple of the Albany skyline since their construction, with the farm now visited by more than 200,000 people every year.

Trekkers also enjoy the sights presented by the giant forms, with the Bibbulmun Track boardwalk also running right underneath the turbines.

With the turbines nearing the end of their shelf life, Synergy announced last July that it was investigating options for the farm’s future, weighing up the decision of whether to keep it operating or decommission it.