ACEN Australia has secured final approval from the NSW Independent Planning Commission (IPC) to develop its 943MW Valley of the Winds wind farm and 320MW/640MWh battery energy storage system in the state’s Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone.
The $1.68 billion project will comprise 131 wind turbines – each up to 250m high – and includes one of the largest co-located battery facilities proposed in NSW. It is expected to generate enough clean energy to power around 519,000 homes annually.
The wind farm will be located near Coolah in the Warrumbungle Shire, approximately 94km northeast of Dubbo. The project’s development footprint spans 734.96 hectares within a broader 24,000-hectare project area.
It includes significant associated infrastructure such as a central substation, three collector substations, 128km of internal transmission lines, and over 110km of underground cable reticulation.
The IPC’s approval follows an extensive assessment process and public consultation, including over 50 objections and formal opposition from Warrumbungle Shire Council.
The Commission imposed strengthened consent conditions, addressing concerns over biodiversity, traffic, visual impact, decommissioning, and the cumulative impacts of energy developments across the Central-West Orana REZ.
Environmental safeguards include a requirement for ACEN to offset more than 9,000 biodiversity credits and protect 282 hectares of Box Gum Woodland under a permanent conservation agreement. The project’s footprint has already been revised to reduce impact on critically endangered ecological communities by 31 per cent.
To mitigate visual impacts, the IPC mandated at-residence landscaping, restrictions on aviation lighting near Siding Spring Observatory, and long-term access to screening for residents within 4.95km of turbines. Turbines must also meet stringent noise and shadow flicker thresholds.
The wind farm is expected to generate up to 400 construction jobs and 50 ongoing operational roles. ACEN will establish a 400-bed workforce accommodation camp and enter a Voluntary Planning Agreement worth up to $24.8 million with Warrumbungle Shire Council, based on a per-megawatt contribution indexed to CPI.
Construction is expected to span approximately 42 months, with a 30-year operational life and provisions for future infrastructure upgrades.
As part of the consent, ACEN must develop a detailed Decommissioning and Rehabilitation Plan, reviewed every 10 years.
The Commission noted the project’s strategic fit within the NSW Government’s net zero emissions and energy reliability targets.
“The Project will increase renewable energy generation and capacity and contribute to the State’s transition to renewable energy as coal-fired power stations are closed,” it stated.