Pine forest wind project unveils plans for 8 megawatt turbines and a 2,000 MWh battery

One of the four project developers seeking to build large wind farms within the NSW government’s pine forest plantations has unveiled details plans that include giant 8 megawatt (MW) turbines, and a big battery scaled at up to 2,000 meagwatt-hours (MWh).

The Sunny Corner wind project is being put forward by Mainstream Renewables and Someva Renewables, and would be located in Forestry Corp plantations between Lithgow and Bathurst, in an area already heavily populated by coal mining, coal fired generators and other coal industry assets.

They propose a wind farm of around 500 MW, although the details of its first scoping report filed with the NSW planning authorities also indicates up to 80 turbines at 8 MW each, which of course would total around 640 MW.

These would likely be among the biggest turbines in the country, although it should be noted that other projects at a similar development stage are also looking at 8 MW turbines. Most turbines being installed now are around 6 MW, or smaller. The 8 MW turbines will have a hub height of up to 185 metres and a maximum tip height of up to 285 metres.

The exact scale of the battery, which the developers say will help smooth out price volatility and support the grid, will be finalised in the next phase of planning.

The project is located close to existing and proposed renewable and battery projects, including the Crudine Ridge wind farm, the Glanmire and Brewongle solar farms and the proposed Panorama big battery.

It will be just 15 kms from EnergyAustralia’s Mt Piper coal fired power station, likely to be the last coal generator standing in what remains the country’s biggest coal state, and its proposed Mt Piper battery. The proposed Lake Lyell pumped hydro project is 18 kms away.

“Sunny Corner is situated in the central west of NSW which has a long history of energy generation and supplying the people of NSW,'” the scoping report notes. “To date, this generation has come from coal power stations including those near Wallerawang and Mt Piper.”

The developers say the area also has a strong wind resource.

“The ability of the area to transition from historic to renewable energy sources is evidenced by the emergence of new and existing renewable energy technologies in the area, such as Lake Lyell and Central West Pumped Hydro, multiple solar farms and standalone BESS (big batteries) such as Wallerawang and Mount Lambie,” it says.

The developers say the layout of the wind farm, and the final scale, are not finalised, and will be subject to community consultation, with a number of meetings to be held in coming weeks.

“It’s important to note that the initial layout is just a starting point, and an opportunity for feedback and to host discussions based on where turbines might be.” Someva’s Jamie Chivers said in a statement.

“We are keen to present an opportunity for near neighbours and community members to benefit from where turbines may be located. We want to ensure the voices of near neighbours, and the wider community are heard, shaping a project that delivers shared benefits for decades to come.”

The NSW Forestry Corp has allocated permits for the potential development of four different wind projects. Two others, The Pines from TagEnergy and Stromlo Energy, and Iberdolar’s Canobolas, are in the same central west region, while Neoen’s Bondo wind project is in the south of the state.

See Renew Economy’s Big Battery Storage Map of Australia, and its newly updated Big Wind and Big Solar maps.

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