Goldwind Capital wins approval for 1.4 GW Baldon wind farm in NSW renewable zone

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Baldon wind farm approval

Highlights

NSW Independent Planning Commission approved Goldwind Capital's 1,400 MW Baldon Wind Farm, comprising 175 turbines up to 300 metres high, with strict construction and rehabilitation conditions.
Despite 1,400 MW approval, Baldon Wind Farm lacks initial access to EnergyCo lines and will connect 45 turbines via the 220kV X5 Balranald to Darlington Point transmission line.
Baldon and three other projects with EnergyCo access rights secured federal support through the Capacity Investment Scheme, while Pottinger Wind Farm remains unfunded.

Approval terms and project scope

As reported by ABC News, the NSW Independent Planning Commission has approved Goldwind Capital's 1,400-megawatt Baldon Wind Farm in the South West Renewable Energy Zone, about 64 kilometres south-west of Hay, after the state-significant project was referred to the panel because of strong community opposition.

The project is set to include 175 turbines with a maximum height of 300 metres, around 100 metres taller than any wind turbines currently operating in NSW. The commission says it considered concerns including traffic, possible contamination, cumulative effects, decommissioning and rehabilitation before granting consent with conditions.

Those conditions require the developer to prepare a traffic-management plan, upgrade and maintain local roads, and repair any damage linked to construction and development activity. The approval also requires a decommissioning and rehabilitation plan for the site.

Grid access limits and regional impact

Community feedback was heavily weighted against the project during the original consultation period, with 72 of 80 submissions opposing the proposal, while Hay Shire Council supported it. Even so, the approval keeps a large renewable energy investment in the South West REZ moving, adding to NSW's pipeline of utility-scale wind generation.

Despite its approved 1,400-megawatt capacity, Baldon does not receive access to the EnergyCo lines, meaning it is initially able to use only part of that output. The company says on its website that stage one involves 45 turbines connected through the 220kV X5 Balranald to Darlington Point transmission line, separate from the REZ network, and that it may later seek access rights.

Baldon and three other projects with access rights to the EnergyCo network have also secured federal backing under the Capacity Investment Scheme. By contrast, Someva/AGL's Pottinger Wind Farm has yet to receive Commonwealth funding.

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