NSW strikes land deal for massive new wind and battery storage project in south-west

The NSW Labor government says it has struck a land deal with the proponents of a 200 turbine, gigawatt scale wind project and huge battery in the state’s south west.

The agreement to allow the proposed $3.8 billion Victoria Lake project to use Crown land has been signed off by the minister of Lands Steve Kemper. The project will straddle both crown and private land, mostly used for grazing activities.

Lake Victoria is being developed by WestWind, a shareholder in the Golden Plains wind farm which will be the biggest in the country when complete. WestWind has around eight large renewable and storage projects – some dubbed as “energy hubs” in Victoria, NSW and Queensland that it is seeking to develop.

Lake Victoria will likely combine around a gigawatt of wind capacity, according to the government press release – although its website suggests up to 1.5 GW – with up to 1,500 megawatt hours of battery storage.

The south-west area of the state has seen a huge number of gigawatt scale projects emerge in the past few years, although competition for space is intense, with only 4 GW of “access rights” to be awarded in a recently completed, but not yet announced, auction for the newly created South-West Renewable Energy Zone.

Lake Victoria will likely not come on stream until the early 2030s, as it still has to make its way through various planning processes, and talks with private landowners, local communities, First Nations groups and other stakeholders.

The deal with WestWind includes an initial 25-year lease with two 7-year options to extend the lease a further 14 years. Most new wind projects are expected to have a 35-40 year life, and could be extended through “re-powering” arrangements.

The wind farm is located about 30 kilometres north-west of Wentworth near the Victorian border and will be assessed as a State Significant Development once a development application is lodged.  

“The Lake Victoria Wind Farm proposal has the potential to deliver major economic investment, well paid regional jobs and more green energy for NSW,” Minister Kemper said in a statement.

“The rental income will be reinvested into the Crown Reserves Improvement Fund to provide grants to maintain and improve Crown reserves across the state, such as regional showgrounds, war memorials and community sporting grounds.”