Broken Hill is one of the oldest cities in Australia. The Silver City has been a mining town for more than a century.

And according to AGL’s Adam Mackett, Broken Hill and nearby Silverton are going to continue being mining towns for decades to come – but they’re going to mining something very different.

‘Broken Hill’s been mining the earth for 130 years – and now it’s mining the sun,’ he said.

‘And in Silverton, we’ve started mining the wind.’

The region is the home of the 53 MW Broken Hill Solar Plant and the 200 MW Silverton Wind Farm. Together, they generate enough electricity to power 158,000 homes yearly.

Adam is the project director on the recently finished Silverton Wind Farm – or, as he describes himself, he’s an ‘energy farmer’.

‘This is what 58 wind turbines looks like,’ he said, gesturing across the horizon.

‘Getting them up here from Adelaide was interesting, but the view from the top is incredible.

‘There’s some very specialised jobs working on these things – but it helps if you like heights,’ he laughed.

He’s proud of the work he’s doing – for the region, and for Australia.

‘Everyone knows Broken Hill’s proud mining history,’ he said.

‘And now? Now it’s a renewable energy hub.

‘I can’t wait to bring my kids out here.’

Broken Hill Solar Plant and Silverton Wind Farm are owned by PARF but operated by AGL.