Major wind farm cleared for construction in Queensland coal country

A 70-turbine wind farm proposed for construction in coal country in Central Queensland has won federal environmental approval, clearing the way for the 462 megawatt (MW) project to be built around 22 km north-east of Biloela.

Irish-based renewable energy developer DP Energy won development approval for the wind farm from the Queensland government back at the end of 2023, after developing the 320MW Port Augusta Renewable Energy Hub, which is now owned by Iberdrola.

The wind farm is in the neighbourhood of Queensland’s Callide coal fired power station, which made headlines in 2021 when its 420MW C4 unit exploded in an event that very nearly caused widespread blackouts through the state (some areas did lose power).

The discovery of problems with the coal plant’s cooling towers meant that both the C3 and C4 units had to be taken offline. The C3 unit returned to service 17 months later, the C4 unit did not re-connect to the grid until August last year.

A 200MW solar farm and four-hour battery is being proposed by Edify Energy around 7 kms north east of Biloela and next to the Callide power station so it can “maximise its access” to the grid.

Environmental approval for the Callide wind project, which will be built on around 1023.2 hectares in the Calliope Range and feature turbines measuring up to 235 metres tall, comes with a host of conditions designed to protect the surrounding flora and fauna.

The conditions include limits on how much habitat of native plants and animals such as the greater glider, northern quoll, and koala, can be cleared or permanently lost, requiring DP Energy to work with local ecologists as they prepare the area for construction and turbine installation.

The forecast life of the project is about 30 years, after which time the turbines and other equipment will either be removed and the site reinstated or repowered with refurbished equipment.

The Callide wind farm is expected to create 280 full-time jobs during construction and 20 permanent jobs throughout the operation of the project. Construction is planned to begin towards the end of 2025.

DP Energy is also in the process of evaluating a potential wind farm north of the township Euston in New South Wales within the South-West Renewable Energy Zone (SW-REZ). The Euston wind farm would have the potential to consist of up to 100 wind turbines and will be paired with a battery energy storage system.