Central New South Wales will welcome the Valley of the Winds wind farm in the coming years following approval from the Federal Government.
Located near Coolah in the Central-West Orana renewable energy zone (REZ), Valley of the Winds boasts 943 megawatts (MW) of clean energy generation capacity, supported by 131 turbines and a 320MW battery facility.
The turbines will be spread across three clusters – Mount Hope, Girragulang Road and Leadville – which will be connected to a substation by underground electricity cabling.
The site has the potential to limit greenhouse gas emissions by up to 2.5 million tonnes per year, which equates to removing 955,000 cars from the roads annually.
The Federal Government said the project was greenlit in 38 days, after the NSW Government gave its go-ahead in July.
“The Valley of the Winds project will generate jobs and investment for the Coolah community – all without impacting on neighbouring grazing and cropping activities,” Federal Minister for the Environment and Water Murray Watt said.
“Through the planning process, the proponent listened to community feedback and modified the layout and scale of the facility, to minimise the impact on nearby farms.
“This project is proof that renewable projects can work for regional communities by securing new, local jobs, while ensuring that agriculture can still thrive.”
Watt said the current Federal Government had now approved more than 100 renewable energy projects since coming into office.
Valley of the Winds is being developed by ACEN, a company with a renewable energy pipeline of 13 gigawatts across Australia, spanning solar, wind, battery and pumped hydro.
The project is being managed by EnergyCo NSW on behalf of the NSW Government.
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