General News
19 May, 2026
Wind farm clears hurdle
THE Warracknabeal Energy Park has cleared a major hurdle in its approval process, with Victorian planning minister, Sonya Kilkenny, issuing her assessment of the Environment Effects Statement.
Promoted as the largest wind farm in the Southern Hemisphere, the EES project included technical studies, community consultation, and a public inquiry.
The 219-turbine wind farm with a maximum blade tip height of 280 metres above ground level, will have a nameplate capacity of 1650 megawatts of renewable energy, translating to a long-term average delivery of about 545 to 580 megawatts.
Located about five kilometres away from Warracknabeal, the project will include approximately 21km of overhead powerlines joining the project’s northern section to the southern section and will also connect into the Murra Warra terminal station through approximately 13km of overhead transmission lines.
The developer, WestWind Energy, said the project would create “around 900 construction jobs and 35 ongoing operational jobs in the region,” with a total capital investment of about $5 billion.
WestWind Energy said it began engaging with the region and landowners in 2017.
Managing director, Tobias Geiger, said the granting of the EES was an important milestone, enabling the project to move closer to construction.
Following the public exhibition of the EES in 2025, an independent inquiry panel was convened to consider submissions, which included public hearings held over a two-month period.
Mr Geiger said long-term community engagement had been central to shaping the project and acknowledged the collaborative partnership between the Victorian Government, host landowners and the local community throughout the assessment process.
“We have worked closely with the community over many years to listen, respond and refine the project,” he said.
“That engagement has been critical in shaping a proposal that seeks to balance environmental considerations with regional benefits.”
The signing off included the proposed removal of about 300 old growth trees, acknowledgment of collision risk to birds such as the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act critically-endangered Curlew Sandpiper and Black Falcon, and “significant impact” on Plains Mallee Box Woodlands, Natural Grasslands of the Murray Valley Plains, and Buloke Woodlands of the Riverina and Murray-Darling Depression Bioregions.
Further approvals are still required before a final decision is made, including Commonwealth approval under national environmental laws.
More information can be found online at bit.ly/3RgTmZB.