Massive NSW wind and battery project gets federal approval to replace coal, drought-proof farms

A massive 1500MW wind farm – the biggest in New South Wales and one of the biggest single wind projects planned for the Australian grid – has been given the green light by the federal government to go ahead in the state’s South West Renewable Energy Zone (REZ).

Federal environment minister Tanya Plibersek said on Friday that planning approval had been granted for the Yanco Delta wind farm, which is being developed by Virya Energy around 10km north west of Jerilderie.

The project includes the construction of 208 wind turbines – which will be more powerful than any turbines currently in operation in Australia and have a maximum tip height of 270 metres – as well as an 800MW/800MWh battery and grid connection infrastructure.

If built now, it would be the biggest in the country, beating the MacIntyre and Golden Plains being built in Queensland and Victoria, and the new 1.4 GW Bungapan wind farm contracted this week by Rio Tinto to help power its smelters and refineries.

Plibersek says the Yanco project has been approved after careful assessment of the environmental impacts and “is able to proceed with strict conditions to protect nationally protected threatened species including the superb parrot and the plains-wanderer.”

The huge wind farm had been awaiting a decision from the federal environmental minister since getting the green light from the state in December of last year – a first for the wind industry in NSW since early 2021. The project will now work towards locking in technology partners and a final investment decision.

According to Virya Energy’s plans, the project will be spread over eight different land holdings in the Murrumbidgee and Edward River Local Government Areas, helping to “drought-proof” their farming operations – a detail that clashes with the National Party narrative that renewables are the bane of the agriculture industry.

Earlier this month, around the same time that right-wing politicians led a protest against renewables outside federal parliament, the NSW Independent Planning Commission approved the more than 300MW Bowman’s Creek wind farm near Muswellbrook.

In a statement on Friday, Plibersek said that while 24 coal plants worth 26.7GW of capacity had announced their closure dates during the Coalition government’s decade leading the country, the LNP had failed to implement policies to ensure replacement capacity.

The situation is particularly pressing in NSW, with the looming closure of Origin Energy’s Eraring Power Station, which will leave a 2.8GW hole in the state’s energy supply mix. The Yanco Delta wind farm, once built, will have the generating capacity to power 700,000 NSW homes.

“Years of political fights over climate change have cost Australia big time,” Plibersek said. “It meant emissions were higher for longer. It put renewable energy projects years behind.

“We want to unlock Australia’s potential to be a world leader in renewable energy. It’s a huge task – we’re remaking our entire energy system.

“Our government has shown just how bright Australia’s future can be when there’s less political fighting and more action on climate change.”