DP Energy to develop 1.4 GW wind farm in Australia

The project will be supported by a battery energy storage system.

Irish firm DP Energy is set to develop the 1,400 megawatt (MW) Windy Plains Renewable Energy Park located 40 kilometres southeast of Julia Creek in McKinlay Shire, Queensland.

Acocrding to the company, the wind farm will feature 197 wind turbines to be supported by battery energy storage systems of around 500 MW / 2000 megawatt-hours.

The proposed site is ideal for the project, given its setup. Its benefits include optimal wind speeds, large land blocks with minimal proximity to neighbouring dwellings, flat topography, which will lead to cost-effective deployment, and proximity to the new CopperString transmission line being constructed by Powerlink Queensland.

The Windy Plains Renewable Energy Project is currently in the project feasibility stage, with high-level environmental, cultural heritage, and technical assessments underway. Approvals from Queensland and Commonwealth regulators will follow after more detailed studies and consultation have taken place.

DP Energy Australia is already engaging with early neighbours to the project, including McKinlay Shire Council, Queensland Government agencies, First Nations, and other stakeholders.  

Aside from this project, the company’s Australian portfolio include the proposed 430 MW Callide Wind Farm in Queensland, the 700 MW Euston Wind Farm in New South Wales, the 320 MW Port Augusta Renewable Energy Park in South Australia, as well as a pipeline of early-stage projects primarily in New South Wales and Queensland.