Project Description
Bango Wind Farm will generate enough electricity to power over 100,000 homes
(Based on an average NSW household electricity consumption of 7.3 MWh annually)
Bango Wind Farm is a proposed wind farm in the southern Tablelands approximately 30 km north of Yass, NSW. The project will comprise up to 46 wind turbines and associated infrastructure with a generating capacity of approximately 240 MW.
The wind farm was first publicly announced in 2011 and an Environmental Impact Statement was prepared in 2016. At that stage the project consisted of 118 turbines within both the Boorowa (now Hilltops) and Yass Council areas. Following extensive community consultation, the project was revised in May 2017 to reduce the layout to 75 turbine locations. Of these, 46 wind turbine locations and associated infrastructure were approved by the NSW and Commonwealth Governments in late-2018.
Planning and approval documentation can be found at the link below.
Location
Because of Australia’s excellent wind resource, generating electricity from the wind is feasible in a variety of locations throughout the country. However, not all locations or conditions are conducive to wind farm developments. A number of factors such as proximity to the transmission grid, access, ecology and archaeology, cultural significance, visual impact, and location of residential dwellings, must all be taken into account when evaluating the potential of a site.
The map shown to the left shows the locations of the 49 approved turbine locations for the Bango Wind Farm.
The project is being developed in accordance with the NSW Wind Energy Guideline (DPE 2016), including the Visual Assessment Bulletin and Noise Assessment Bulletin.
Benefits
Bango Wind Farm will play an important role in contributing to the local economy of the Yass Valley region which is experiencing a growth in renewable energy trades and qualifications. This large scale project would provide additional opportunity for construction and operation suppliers in the region.
The project would be operational for approximately 25 years providing around 10 full time jobs as well as numerous supply contracts and service opportunities throughout the project life cycle.
Timeline
Site Identification and resource monitoring
2009
Preliminary Environmental Assessment (PEA)
2011
Project public announcement and open day
2011
Community Consultative Committee established
2013
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) public exhibition
2016
NSW Development Approval
2018
Commonwealth Approval
2018
Construction commences
2019
Fully commissioned and operational
2020