20 March 2025
The community will be able to have its say at a public meeting on the Valley of the Winds Wind Farm, a State significant development application (SSD-10461) by ACEN Australia Pty Ltd to develop a 943 megawatt (MW) wind farm including 131 wind turbines, 320MW / 640 MW-hour battery energy storage facility and associated infrastructure.
The proposed wind farm would be located between Coolah and Leadville on both sides of the Black Stump Way, within the Warrumbungle local government area and Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone (CWO REZ). It is intended to connect to the electricity network via the approved CWO REZ transmission line which is to be located in the southern portion of the site and delivered by EnergyCo.
The wind farm is expected to create up to 400 construction and 50 operational jobs. It is also expected to generate enough renewable energy to power up to 519,000 homes per year.
The decision on whether the development application will be given planning approval has been referred to the Independent Planning Commission because the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure received at least 50 unique submissions objecting to the proposal and the Warrumbungle Shire Council has also objected.
Commissioners Richard Pearson, Suellen Fitzgerald and Sarah Dinning have been appointed by the Commission Chair to determine the development application.
The key issues identified in the Department’s whole-of-government assessment of the development application include issues associated with energy transition, biodiversity, visual impacts, traffic and transport.
The Commission has access to all previous written submissions made to the Department on this proposed development, however it is particularly helpful for the Commission Panel to also hear the community’s views on the Department’s Assessment Report, which can be found on the Commission’s website.
A public meeting on the Valley of the Winds Wind Farm will be held at the Coolah Youth & Community Centre located at 10-12 Binnia St, Coolah on Thursday 10 April 2025, commencing at 10:00AM (AEST). Anyone wishing to present at the public meeting must pre-register using the Speaker Registration Form. The deadline for speaker registrations is 12:00 noon AEST on Wednesday 2 April 2025.
The Commission is also inviting the public to make written submissions which can be lodged via the Submission Form on the Commission’s website. The Commission will also accept submissions made via post or email. Written submissions will be accepted until 5:00pm on Thursday 17 April 2025.
Please note
The public meeting will be livestreamed on the Commission’s YouTube channel. Registered speakers will be asked to nominate their preference for presenting at the Public Meeting either in-person at the venue or by dialing in by telephone. Please note that if the demand for either in-person or virtual attendance is low, the Commission may opt to conduct the meeting either entirely virtually or entirely in person. Similarly, if demand for speaker timeslots is high and Thursday 10 April 2025 becomes fully booked, the Commission will endeavour to schedule a second day. If either of these scenarios occur, this will be fully communicated to all registered speakers in advance, including how the Commission can assist people to attend the meeting virtually. These flexible arrangements ensure as many people as possible have the opportunity to be heard, while also making best use of public resources.