NSW Wind Turbine Sites
Introduction
As of March 2006 twenty wind plant proposals have been listed for NSW. The listed plans range from plants of ten megawats (Spring Range) up to plants of 120 megawatts (Molonglo), and the largest (Capital) at 126 megawatts.
Working Wind Plants
To date (March 2006) Crookwell1 and Blayney are the only working wind plants in NSW connected to the main grid. Their combined installed capacity is 14.7 megawatts out of a total of 17 megawatts for NSW. (There are two small wind plants at Newcastle and Hampton). Wind plant performance data is typically proprietorial and thus not on public record.
As of this date The wind plants listed are in various stages. Some simply at the planning stage, others approved for implementation. The following has been compiled from AUSWEA (Australian Wind Energy Association) and other sources.
Listed Proposols
| Project and Location | Owner/Developer | Total Size (MW) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bannister | Marubeni Power Systems (Japan) | 30 | Feasibility |
| Black Springs | Wind Corporation | 40 | Feasibility |
| Capital | Renewable Power Ventures | 132 | Seeking Approval |
| Conroy's Gap | Taurus Energy (Germany) | 30 | Feasibility |
| Cooma | Pacific Hydro (Aus) | 100 | Feasibility |
| Crookwell II | TME/Gamesa (Spain) | 92 | Planning Approved |
| Cullerin Range | Taurus Energy (Germany) | 30 | Seeking Approval |
| Evandale | Taurus Energy (Germany) | 30 | Feasibility |
| Geary's Gap | EHN Oceania (Spain) | Unknown | Unknown |
| Gunning | Delta Energy (Multinational) | 62 | Planning Approved |
| Highlands | ANZ Infrastructure Services | 30 | Feasibility |
| Molonglo | EHN Oceania (Spain) | 120 | Feasibility |
| Paling Yards | Gamesa/TME (Spain) | 90 | Feasibility |
| Rock Flat Creek | Pacific Hydro (Aus) | 100 | Feasibility |
| Snowy Plains | Taurus Energy (Germany) | 30 | Seeking Approval |
| Spring Range | ActewAGL/Marubeni | 10 | Feasibility |
| Taralga | RES Southern Cross (UK) | 105 | Seeking Approval |
| Woodlawn | Collex (France)/EHN Oceania (Spain)/ActewAGL(Aus) | 50 | Planning Approved |
The areas affected are shown on This map.
Spring Range Comment
The proliferation of projects is occurring at a rate which has outstripped the NSW Department of Planning's ability to effectively control or adequately scrutinise proposals. The approval process has generally disregarded or over-ruled local landowner objections on the grounds that there is a larger benefit to society at stake. However this larger benefit remains unproved by the wind industry. A recent submission to the Victorian Government by a wind plant operator disclosed that only 8% of installed capacity could be considered part of the State's base load and that dollars spent on improvements in gas fired technology produced a better result per ton of green house gas saved.
If Australians are being asked to sacrifice their ridgelines and the amenity of their homes to wind technology, then its track record needs to be put on public display. The information is unlikely to be volunteered by energy companies and full disclosure of generation records needs to be a prerequisite before further projects are approved.