DP Energy pushes ahead with 700MW Australian wind farm proposal

6 Nov 2023

Image: © Milbsie/Stock.adobe.com

The Cork-headquartered company said it has secured a ‘key milestone’ on the path towards getting its latest Australian wind farm project approved.

Ireland’s DP Energy has moved onto a new project phase as it works to secure approval for another wind farm in Australia.

The company confirmed it recently secured a Secretary’s Environment Assessment Requirements (SEARs) and is now preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), in order to get its development approved.

The proposed site is in New South Wales, 8km north of Euston in New South Wales. DP Energy aims to develop a 700MW wind farm there, consisting of 100 turbines to send power to the country’s electricity market.

The proposal also includes infrastructure such as roads and cabling, along with a battery energy storage system and maintenance facilities.

DP Energy said the project is expected to generate enough electricity to power nearly 325,000 New South Wales homes when fully operational. DP Energy Australia’s head of projects Hugh Cantwell said the receipt of the SEARs is a “key milestone” for this project.

“We are excited to be moving forward with this quality project which aligns well with the New South Wales government’s goals to transform the electricity system into one that is affordable, clean and reliable,” Cantwell said.

Last month, DP Energy secured development approval to build a 430MW wind farm in Australia. The company plans to begin construction of this Callide Wind Farm project next year and expects it to take two years to build.

DP Energy has developed more than 1GW of renewable energy projects across Australia, Canada, Ireland and the UK. The Cork-headquartered company has a current project pipeline of more than 9GW across onshore wind, solar and offshore wind technologies.

In July, DP Energy partnered with offshore sector supplier SBM Offshore to pursue floating offshore wind energy projects off the Canadian coast – specifically Nova Scotia. DP Energy said it has been working in Nova Scotia since 2021 to understand the local energy constraints and opportunities.

In 2021, the renewable energy company partnered with two Japanese companies to work on a tidal energy project called Uisce Tapa.

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Leigh Mc Gowran is a journalist with Silicon Republic

editorial@siliconrepublic.com