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Referrals for three massive wind farms have been submitted to the federal Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment & Water for assessment under the EPBC Act.

Combined, BayWa r.e.’s Kariboe Wind Farm in Queensland, ACEN Australia’s North East Wind project in Tasmania, and Engie’s The Plains Wind Farm in NSW represent a potential of more than 4 GW of new capacity into the NEM.

The Kariboe Wind Farm is planned on a location approximately 40km southeast of Biloela across four properties within the North Burnett Regional Council and Banana Shire local government areas. Up to 170 X 8 MW wind turbines are proposed on a development footprint of 1254ha for a total potential nameplate generating capacity of +1 GW, depending on the final turbine type used. The wind farm will connect to an existing 275kV transmission line via a new Powerlink terminal substation and provision for other electrical infrastructure, such as statcom, harmonic filter, cap banks and/or a synchronous condenser, is included. A Battery Energy Storage System is planned near the substation.

ACEN Australia’s 1260 MW North East Wind project includes up to 210 wind turbine generators at two sites, Rushy Lagoon and Waterhouse, located in the north-east region of Tasmania, across land parcels with a total area of 208.6km2. The Rushy Lagoon site is situated south of Cape Portland where the existing Musselroe Wind Farm is located. ACEN is also planning Battery Energy Storage Systems at both the Rushy Lagoon and Waterhouse sites, a wharf facility to allow for larger WTGs to be used, and the usual ancillary infrastructure required for wind farm construction and operation.

Engie ANZ’s proposed The Plains Wind Farm, located south of Hay in the Riverina Murray region of NSW, will include up to 226 wind turbines with a total capacity of up to approximately 1800 MW across a disturbance footprint of approximately 2811.7 hectares of land. It will form part of a bigger Plains Renewable Energy Park project which will also include a proposed 400 MW AC solar farm and 400 MW BESS located in the south of the project area, which may share ancillary infrastructure. Connection will be via Project EnergyConnect, a proposed 330 kV transmission line to supply the National Electricity Market. One primary 330 kV and at least two 132kV collector substations will be required.