A new Australian-owned renewable energy developer Stromlo Energy has unveiled plans for what would be – if built now – the biggest wind project in New South Wales.
The Devlin’s Bridge project is being proposed on agricultural land near Narrandera in south-west NSW, in a region already rich in solar farms and with good grid connections. It will be sized at up to 650MW, and would feature 7.2MW turbines.
Stromlo Energy is a new development company founded by Garth Heron and Matt Parton, two former senior employees of Neoen Australia, the French-owned company that has been one of the most successful developers of wind, solar and battery storage in the country, including the Bulgana renewable hub (pictured).
The Devlin’s Bridge project is the first of what Stromlo says could be multiple gigawatts of large projects on Australia’s main grid. Its business model is to bring the project to the point of financial close, and then to collect a development fee from an as yet unnamed operator that has agreed to buy its projects.
Stromlo is holding its first information session for Devlin’s Bridge on December 14 and will then enter the planning approvals process in NSW, which could take several years.
It would be the biggest project in NSW if built now, although there are several other wind projects in the pipeline – some also proposed for the same solar-dominated regions of NSW – that could be much bigger. It’s not clear which will be built first.
The Devlin’s Bridge project is located outside the south-west renewables zone but is sited along one of the existing main transmission lines. It hopes to begin construction in 2027. It could also host a big battery.
Heron says the area is flat, and while the wind resource is “modest” compared to some areas, the topography means it will be easier to build than projects located on the top of ridges.
“We’re super excited about the project. It is our first as Stromlo Energy, and it is very nice to be doing it as an Australian developer,” Heron told RenewEconomy.
“It’s more than 20kms from the nearest town. It sits on a 330kV power line and there is already lots of solar in the area, but no wind. The wind blows mostly at night, and ramps up when the solar ramps down. Our studies show there should be low levels of curtailment.”
The project will be hosted by multiple landowners, all of whom support the project, and Heron says the community fund – which will help the surrounding areas – will be bigger than the newly proposed guidelines by the NSW government.
Stromlo is not the only company created by former Neoen Australia employees, with former CEO Franck Woitiez setting up TagEnergy, which is building the Golden Plains wind project in Victoria, which will be the biggest in Australia once its first two stages totalling 1.5GW is complete.
