French nuclear giant plans name change and capacity boost for wind project in Banana Shire

The second stage of a wind project to be built by the renewables arm of French nuclear giant EDF will be double the size of the first stage, and will now need to pass through Queensland’s strict new planning rules.

The second stage, newly christened as the Dawson wind farm, will seek planning approval for up to 70 turbines and a total capacity of 560MW, to be located in the Banana Shire of Queensland.

EDF Renewables, the offshoot of the French government owned giant that manages that country’s nuclear fleet, is yet to lodge a development application for Dawson wind, but it will need to go through the new planning process for wind projects. 

These require a social impact assessment, extensive public consultation, a community benefit scheme agreed with councils before lodging a development application, and allows opponents to fight wind projects through the courts. 

But details are somewhat more hazy for the previously announced Banana Range project, the first stage of the wind farm, which gained development approval in 2019 before EDF bought it in 2021.

The French developer has reduced the total number of turbines at the Banana Range project, but the details shared on the company’s project pages are yet to tally. 

EDF’s website for the project indicates it reduced turbine numbers from 51 to either 41 and 230 megawatts (MW),  or 38 and 228 MW.

RenewMap cites the 41 turbine figure, while the Banana Shire has gone with 38. EDF has been contacted for clarification. 

The Banana Shire expects construction on the smaller wind farm to start in 2026 and operations to start in 2029. 

A high voltage powerline circumventing the town of Biloela to the west is proposed to link Banana Range with Powerlink’s Calevale substation, which is next to the ill-fated Callide power station.

Powerlink says technical studies will start this year with construction pencilled in to start in 2026. 

The original Banana Range wind farm, hosted on five properties totalling 8726 hectares on the Banana Range, was approved as a 180MW project with an option to include a battery.

The then-owner Lacour Energy hoped to have feasibility studies finished and construction to start in 2020, with a start date of 2022. 

EDF emerged on the scene in 2021 to take over the plans, which now rated the project’s capacity at 280MW. Banana Range was its first named purchase in Australia.