A23-turbine wind farm west of Millicent has two reasons to celebrate this month.


It will be 20 years on March 30 since the Canunda wind farm became operational.


Meanwhile, a recent end of life/life extension assessment has determined that Canunda’s design life can be extended by another 10 years, pushing its operational lifespan to 2035.


The windfarm is owned by French company ENGIE and is located on the Woakwine Range.


Immediately to the north is the 112-turbine Lake Bonney which is owned by Spanish company Iberdrola.


ENGIE also owns and operates the Snuggery power station and it three peak-demand diesel turbines.


The Canunda wind farm is able to produce electricity 34% of the time, which in comparison to global standards is a very high wind yield.


The 8km long site contains 23 turbines reaching heights of 107 metres from the base of the tower to the tip of the blade.


They can generate power from wind speeds as little as 4m/sec and produce maximum energy at 14m/sec.


On the windiest of days, they can reach speeds of up to 25m/sec which is 90kph.


Canunda has the capability of generating a total of 46MW of electricity.


This output can supply power to an average of 30,000 homes across South Australia.


The power is transported through 14km of 33,000-volt transmission lines to the nearby Snuggery substation.