ENGIE welcomes the decision by the NSW Government’s Independent Planning Commission (IPC) to grant approval of the Hills of Gold Wind Farm, located outside Nundle in northern New South Wales.

The IPC has approved a Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI) recommendation for 62 turbines at the site, with a generating capacity of up to 372 megawatts (MW) – enough renewable energy to power up to 163,000 average NSW homes.

ENGIE Australia’s Managing Director of Renewables, Ms Laura Caspari, says the decision reflects years of hard work, by not only the project team but all government, local and community stakeholders involved, to develop an excellent wind farm project.

“ENGIE is looking forward to delivering the project and its many benefits to the local Nundle, Hanging Rock and Crawney communities”, Ms Caspari said.

“The Hills of Gold Wind Farm will take advantage of an excellent wind resource and existing transmission infrastructure, and the project’s footprint has been optimised to incorporate expert advice, community input and years of onsite surveys and assessments that ensure co-existence with grazing and biodiversity on site.

“ENGIE is thrilled to be advancing development of this important renewable energy asset, which will contribute to NSW’s energy security, and the state and nation’s broader renewable energy targets.

“This project represents $833 million in new private investment into regional NSW, nearly 400 new jobs during construction and a community benefit fund designed to deliver long-term benefits to Nundle and surrounding communities.”

Ms Caspari said approval of the Hills of Gold Wind Farm was a positive sign for the renewable energy industry in NSW, as well as Australia’s response to managing the worst impacts of climate change.  

“Hills of Gold is at the forefront of new wind farm developments to be approved in NSW. Achieving this milestone shows that industry, community and authorities can address and manage the issues identified during the planning process, providing valuable lessons for future projects.”

The Hills of Gold Wind Farm is located about five kilometres south of Hanging Rock and eight kilometres south-east of Nundle. It includes a 100MW battery energy storage system, 330kV transmission line connecting to the existing transmission network at Wallabadah and other associated ancillary infrastructure.