The NSW Government has approved the construction of the Yanco Delta Wind Farm, set to be one of the biggest wind farms in the state.
The project, which has been going through the approvals process since 2021, is expected to generate enough ‘clean, renewable energy’ to power up to 700,000 homes a year.
The 1500-megawatt wind farm will be developed by Virya Energy about 10km north-west of Jerilderie.
The total project area will span about 33,000 hectares across Murrumbidgee and Edward River local government areas.
Each of the 208 wind turbines will have a maximum tip height of 270m, an 800-megawatt battery energy storage facility and grid connection infrastructure.
The wind farm is identified to have eight host landholders across the footprint, with five rural residential dwellings within the project area. The closest dwelling is about 3.7km from the nearest turbine.
Project participation agreements are being offered to all dwellings within 8km of the turbines.
The NSW Government said public exhibition of the project’s environmental impact statement saw overall support, with no public objections.
The NSW Department of Planning and Environment has been engaging closely with local councils, residents and government agencies.
Potential impacts would be managed through strict conditions including road upgrades and maintenance, implementation of management plans and a range of mitigation and adaptive management measures.
NSW Climate Change and Energy Minister Penny Sharpe said the clean energy was only one benefit of the program.
She said it would mean more jobs and local investment, and bring NSW “another step closer to achieving our net zero targets”.
“Over the next decade, three of the four remaining coal fired generators in NSW are scheduled to retire, removing around 7400 megawatts of dispatchable electricity generation from the system,” Ms Sharpe said.
“Renewable energy developments like this one in the South West Renewable Energy Zone are critical to our energy future, so we can ensure there is enough renewable energy to replace ageing coal-fired power stations.”
NSW Planning and Public Spaces Minister Paul Scully said local residents and stakeholders had played a vital role in the work to get this project over the line.
“It is set to deliver positive local benefits including up to 300 jobs in construction and 30 jobs in operation,” he said.
The development of the Yanco Delta Wind Farm is a long term project, with a final investment decision and construction commencement not expected until 2025-26.
The construction and commissioning period is expected to take two to three years, and once commissioned the operational life of a wind turbine is currently about 30 years.
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