A major wind farm development in central west New South Wales is set to become even bigger, with developer Epuron revealing expansion plans for the proposal. The Burrendong Wind Farm proposal, initially a 400MW project, will be scaled up to incorporate additional wind turbine locations on adjacent land. This will bring the farm’s total output capacity in excess of 600MW. The news comes after WaterNSW opted in on the project, giving Epuron access to government-owned land that can accommodate more turbines.
In a statement late last week, Epuron said that WaterNSW had been seeking investment in renewable energy generation and storage assets on its own land, including around the Burrendong Dam.
“Based on this opportunity Epuron is participating in WaterNSW’s process and has revised the Burrendong Wind Farm proposal to incorporate additional wind turbine locations on adjacent WaterNSW land,” the company said.
The expanded design includes up to 105 wind turbines, up from the original 69, with an expected output capacity of 650MW.
Final design guided by “landowner interests” and Environmental Impact Assessment
The proposed wind farm is set to be located east of Lake Burrendong and south-east of Wellington in the Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone, an area identified as optimal for new projects to help NSW achieve its renewable energy targets.
With towering ridgelines and powerful winds, the central west region of NSW is an ideal location for wind energy generation.
According to Epuron, the project area is currently used for grazing, a complementary land use, has a strong wind resource, is close to high voltage transmission lines and has good road access with few neighbouring properties.
The company has stated the final design will be guided by the interests of landowners in the area and results of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
It added that updated requirements for the project’s EIA are due to be issued by the NSW Department of Planning and Environment. In the meantime, assessments and specialist reports for the project are being updated to reflect the expanded project.
