Hundreds of NSW jobs to be supported by new 420MW wind farm project
Independent power producer Engie will be taking over the development of the 420MW Hills of Gold Wind Farm in New South Wales following its purchase of development rights for the project.
“The Hills of Gold Wind Farm is a quality project that adds renewable energy to the national grid, while also creating local economic activity during construction and operation of the 25-year lifespan of the asset.
“We’re looking forward to the opportunity of building the Hills of Gold Wind Farm and to working with the local community to unlock the benefits of renewable energy development,” Engie said in a statement.
The Hills of Gold Wind Farm is set to become the State’s largest wind project to date, and it is going to be built in the New England region – approximately 5 kilometres south of Hanging Rock and 8 kilometres south east of Nundle.
Project map (source: Engie)
This renewable energy project will comprise of up to 70 wind turbines, each having a generating capacity of 6MW, and a 33kV/330kV on site substation that will connect to the existing 330kV TransGrid Liddell to Tamworth overhead transmission line network using a dedicated transmission line from the Hills of Gold Wind Farm.
A number of associated infrastructures will also be delivered. This includes planned upgrades to local roads and bridges leading up to the project site; a meteorological monitoring mast that will enable monitoring of wind speed and direction; and ancillary facilities such as a maintenance and storage shed, a site office and car parking facilities.
During its construction, the project is anticipated to create up to 215 direct and 430 indirect jobs. A further 30 permanent jobs and 50 indirect jobs will also be created once the new wind farm is operational.
Once up and running, the Hills of Gold Wind Farm is expected to generate up to 1,100GWh of clean energy a year, enough to power up to 185,000 average Australian homes.
The project is currently progressing through the planning process and construction on the wind farm is expected to commence in early 2022.
Source: Engie; Hills of Gold Energy; Renew Economy; NS Energy Business; Renewables Now; Power Technology
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