Forrest’s Squadron Energy unveils massive new wind and battery project for NSW

The renewable energy outfit owned by iron ore billionaire Andrew Forrest has added yet another massive wind energy proposal to its project pipeline, after officially kicking off the application process for the Bookham Wind Farm, west of Yass.

Squadron said on LinkedIn on Tuesday that project development is underway for the Bookham project, which proposes to combine 99 wind turbines with battery storage to provide an expected capacity of 594MW.

In a community newsletter, Squadron says it has been engaging with landowners in the Yass Valley Shire’s Bookham community since 2021 and has provided a preliminary project layout for consultation.

“The project team is currently preparing a Scoping Report for submission to the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI). The Scoping Report is a requirement for State Significant Developments.

“It describes the proposed project and identifies key matters requiring more detailed assessment in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in accordance with relevant legislation and guidelines,” the newsletter says.

Through Squadron, Forrest is promising to deliver a 14GW development pipeline of renewable and storage projects – or one third of the renewable energy required for Australia to meet its 2030 82% renewables target, as the iron-ore magnate likes to describe it.

In May, Squadron unveiled plans for a 2 gigawatt (GW) wind and solar energy park backed by a massive one gigawatt, 12-hour battery, proposed for construction near Euston in the New South Wales south west renewable energy zone.

Also in NSW, the company is trying to win federal environmental approval to install the 700 megawatt (MW) Spicers Creek wind project for the state’s Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone (REZ), alongside a 400 MW battery energy storage system (BESS).