Renewables

Final blade arrives to complete biggest wind farm in NSW

Published by

Less than a year after the Rye Park wind farm began generation from its enormous turbines, the last of 198 blades has arrived at the New South Wales site.

The 396MW project, near Yass in the NSW Southern Tablelands, and currently the biggest in the state, received the final 80m-long blade overnight – driven from the Port of Newcastle, owner Tilt Renewables said in a LinkedIn post.

The completed wind farm will host sixty six 6MW V162 Vestas turbines, each with a tip height of 200 metres. The farm is anticipated to produce on average 1,188 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity a year.

Tilt Renewables expects the wind farm to the fully operational by the middle of this year, completing a three-year construction effort on NSW’s largest wind farm.

When Rye Park began being built in 2021 the Vestas turbines were the largest to ever have been erected in Australia, but they were pipped last month by the Golden Plains wind farm which installed a 6.2 MW turbine.

Rye Park turbines.

About 55 per cent of energy production from the Rye Park wind farm is contracted to mining company Newcrest Mining under a 15-year power purchase agreement that will supply the Cadia gold mine in NSW.

The remainder is going to AGL Energy, which signed a 15-year power purchase agreement over the other 45 per cent and for the associated large-scale generation certificates (LGCs), which it’s on-selling to Microsoft.

LGCs are currently trading at $45 each.


Rachel Williamson is a science and business journalist, who focuses on climate change-related health and environmental issues.

Rachel Williamson

Rachel Williamson is a science and business journalist, who focuses on climate change-related health and environmental issues.

Share
Published by

Recent Posts

Turnbull turns to battery storage, with giga-scale plan for near Melbourne

The former PM – once one-eyed in his support of pumped hydro storage – is…

1 September 2026

“State-of-the-art facility” wins funds to service and refurbish wind turbines on Australian soil

State tips $500,000 into local family-owned electric motor specialist to support delivery of a state-of-the-art…

1 September 2026

Mild winter and abundant rooftop solar sends grid demand to record lows – just 2 MW in one state

Energy market operator reinforces need for more flexibility, storage and transmission as electricity demand is…

1 September 2026

“Sick joke:” Beetaloo gas starts flowing as new UN report issues “deafening” climate wake-up call

As the NT marks first gas from the huge Beetaloo "carbon bomb," the Pacific Islands…

1 September 2026

From diesel shackles to solar sovereignty: How Australia can help unlock a renewable Pacific

Behind the Pacific’s reliance on fossil fuel imports lies an extraordinary economic opportunity. But tapping…

1 September 2026

Wind giant gets green light to plug batteries into turbines at 300 MW project, deliver an Australian first

Plans to add batteries to three-quarters of the turbines at a proposed 298 MW wind…

1 September 2026