Uungula Wind Farm, Australia

The Uungula Wind Farm is an under-construction onshore wind project in New South Wales (NSW), Australia.

With a capacity of 414MW, the wind farm is the largest of its kind being built in the state of NSW.

The project is being built by renewable energy company Squadron Energy (previously CWP Renewables).

Construction works for the wind farm officially began in January 2024. The total cost of the project is estimated to be A$820m ($535m).

It is expected to begin operations in 2026.Once commissioned, Uungula Wind Farm will power more than 220,000 homes and prevent more than 560,000 tonnes of carbon emissions annually.

It is expected to create up to 250 construction jobs, and 12 operation jobs.

Uungula Wind Farm Location

The Uungula Wind Farm will be located in the Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone (REZ), within the Dubbo Regional Council LGA, within the NSW Central West.

Overall, the project will include 8,818 hectares (ha) area, of which development footprint will include 637ha.

The site is around 14km east of Wellington town.

The Bodangora wind farm is located 7km north of the project site, while the Beryl solar farm is situated 30km east.

The region is primarily used for agricultural purposes.

Background Details

The project was publicly announced in March 2011, following which, detailed feasibility studies and early stages of planning commenced.

CWP Renewables, a joint venture of Wind Prospect Group and Continental Wind Partners, was the original developer of the project.

Initially, an environmental assessment was prepared for a site that will host 249 turbines. However, the scale of the project was revised multiple times and the design was reduced to 69 turbines.

The preliminary environmental assessment of the project was announced in November 2016.

The project received planning approval from the NSW Department of Planning, Industry, and Environment and was declared a State Significant Development in May 2021.

CWP Renewables was acquired by Squadron Energy in late 2022.

Besides the wind farm, the project is expected to include a 150MW / 150MWh battery energy storage facility.

Uungula Wind Farm Infrastructure

Uungula project will feature 69 wind turbine generators (WTGs), with a combined capacity of generating approximately 414MW of green electricity.

GE Vernova’s 6.0-164 wind turbines were selected for the onshore wind farm. These turbines have a rotor diameter of 164m, with hub heights ranging from 148m to 167m.

The project will involve building ancillary infrastructure including temporary construction compounds, concrete batching plants, permanent access tracks, operation and maintenance facilities, on-site electrical infrastructure, wind monitoring masts, and a new 330kV transmission line.

Uungula will be connected to electricity transmission network operator TransGrid’s existing 330kV Wellington-Wollar transmission line via the new overhead transmission line.

The electricity generated by the WTGs will be transformed from low voltage to medium voltage (33kV or greater) by a transformer.

The project’s internal electrical network will comprise 33kV circuits between the WTGs, the Energy Storage Facility (ESF), and substations, and a 132 kV or 330 kV transmission line between the other substations.

The transmission lines and control cables will be installed below the surface to supply electricity between the WTGs, the ESF, and the substations.

ESF will also be connected to the WTGs and substations via underground and/or overhead cables.

Power Purchasing Agreement

In June 2022, Snowy Hydro, an Australian power producer and retailer, agreed to procure 200MW of Uungula wind farm project’s output for 15 years.

The procurement will enable Snowy Hydro to provide clean energy to its commercial and industrial customers.

Contractors Involved

Moir Landscape Architecture prepared a Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment (LVIA) for the Uungula wind project.

Transgrid Group’s Lumea will build, own, operate, and maintain the transmission infrastructure required to connect the wind farm project to the grid.

The scope of work includes the construction of a 330kV switching station, a 330kV single-circuit transmission line, a 330/33kV wind farm substation, and associated works.

In January 2024, Squadron Energy announced that it entered an A$2.75bn ($1.8bn) green strategic alliance with GE Vernova.

Under the partnership, GE Vernova will supply A$1bn ($655.5m) worth of GE 6MW wind turbines for Uungula.

GE Vernova will also be responsible for the engineering, procurement, and construction expertise through its consortium partners NACAP and CCP.

International law firm Allens advised the lenders to Squadron Energy on the construction financing of the wind farm project.