Andrew Forrest waves goodbye to “coal-fired monster” as he opens new wind farm

One of the largest completed wind energy projects in New South Wales, the 224MW Bango wind farm, has had its official launch in the state’s Southern Tablelands – complete with billionaire Andrew Forrest appearing at the top one of its 46 turbines.

The Squadron Energy project was formally ushered onto the grid on Friday morning at around about the same time as Australia’s largest coal plant, the Liddell power station, was formally ushered off it, in the NSW Upper Hunter Region.

The significance of the timing of the two events was relished by Forrest, whose Tattarang group owns Squadron, which last year bought up the assets of CWP Renewables, including Bango, and added it to its 20GW pipeline of projects.

“On this very day, at this time, Liddell – that massive coal-fired monster – finally shuts down officially at the same time as we open up a new green future,” Forrest told a gathering at the opening of the wind farm.

“We’re not predicting global warming, we’re not predicting climate change – you’re in it! You’re standing in it…,” Forrest said.

“So when we cut that ribbon to open this near quarter-of-a-gigawatt renewable, zero harm, climate neutral power station we want to put another nick in the fossil fuel sector.”

Even without the added significance of the parallel Liddell closure, the opening is a big deal for NSW in that it marks the first wind farm to come online in the state in more than a year.

While New South Wales has topped national solar charts – both on large-scale and rooftop measures – it is well behind where it needs to be on wind power capacity, as well as battery storage, as coal plants start to exit.

Bango wind farm. Source: Squadron Energy

Bango wind farm is located about 30km north of Yass in NSW and at full generating capacity will deliver up to 748GW hours of renewable energy a year to the grid – enough to power around 144,000 homes.

The project has also secured a contract to supply grocery giant Woolworths with around 30 per cent of its NSW energy needs, the equivalent to 108 supermarkets.

Snowy Hydro and Transurban have also signed power purchase agreements with Bango, which Squadron says means that – along with the operational Sapphire wind farm – the company is now supplying 80% of the combined electricity needs of Sydney’s Eastern Distributor, Cross City Tunnel, Hills M2, Lane Cove Tunnel and WestConnex toll roads.

Andrew Forrest at the opening of Bango Wind Farm. Source: Squadron Energy

“As an industry we need to deliver an average of 40 wind turbines a month to reach the federal government’s target of 82 per cent renewables by 2030,” said Forrest on Friday.

“Today we’re delivering 46 turbines in the first wind farm to come online in NSW in more than a year

“As a group of companies, and particularly as Squadron, we must do all we can to help our nation eliminate pollution.

“Business, in full partnership with government, must work to do everything we can to bring our emissions down as a nation.

“Squadron will play a leading role in this, providing one third of the energy required to reach 82 per cent renewables by 2030.”

Forrest talks a big game on renewables, and particularly on renewable hydrogen, but more recently has been walking the talk, with tangible progress on a range of projects in the fold of his group of companies.

On Friday, the iron ore magnate appeared at the top of one of the Bango wind farm’s turbines to mark the occasion.

The Bango wind farm was in 2019 reported to be the first in the world to use General Electric’s Cypress 5.3MW turbines, which at that time ranked amongst the largest onshore wind turbines in production, as well as to be installed so far in Australia.