Wind farm approval will see 300-metre turbines erected in southern NSW

The NSW Independent Planning Commission (IPC) has given Goldwind Capital the green light for the 1400-megawatt Baldon Wind Farm near Hay in southern NSW.

The state-significant project was referred to the IPC due to substantial community opposition.

Goldwind Capital will need to adhere to conditions, including road upgrades and maintenance.

One of the largest wind farm projects in NSW has been approved by the Independent Planning Commission (IPC) despite extensive community opposition. The Baldon Wind Farm will feature 175 turbines up to 300 metres tall, which is 100 metres higher than any currently operating in NSW.

The state-significant development will be located in the South West Renewable Energy Zone [SW REZ] approximately 64 kilometres south-west of Hay.

It is expected to generate a capacity of 1,400 megawatts, making it the second-largest in the state after the Bullawah Wind Farm and battery energy storage system was approved in October.

Baldon's maximum turbine height of 300 metres, about 30 metres shy of the tip of the Eiffel Tower, would make them the tallest in the state by more than 100 metres.

Of the 80 submissions received during the project's original community consultation period, 72 were opposed to the project, which was referred to the IPC.

Hay Shire Council supported the project.

The three-member IPC panel considered community concerns relating to excess traffic, potential contamination, cumulative impacts as well as decommissioning and rehabilitation.

Conditions to mitigate those concerns were imposed as part of the approval.

Baldon Wind Farm will need to provide a traffic-management plan, commit to upgrading and maintaining local roads, and make good any development-related damage.

It will also have to develop and implement a decommissioning and rehabilitation plan.

In December 2025, EnergyCo awarded access rights to transmission line infrastructure in the SW REZ.

Those rights were awarded to Origin Energy's Yanco Delta Wind Farm (1,460MW), Spark Renewables' Dinawan Energy Hub (1,007MW), Bay WA's Bullwah Wind Farm (262.3MW), and Someva/AGL Energy's Pottinger Wind Farm (831.2 MW).

The Baldon Wind Farm did not receive access.

That means while it will have capacity to produce 1,400 megawatts of power, it will initially only be able to harness a fraction of that.

On its website, the company states that during stage one of development, 45 turbines will be built and the site will connect to the grid through the 220kV X5 Balranald to Darlington Point transmission line, a line separate from the REZ infrastructure.

The website also states the project may further seek to gain access rights.

Baldon and three projects with access rights to the EnergyCo lines have secured funding from the federal government under the Capacity Investment Scheme, while Someva/AGL's Pottinger Wind farm is yet to receive Commonwealth funding.

The ABC has contacted Goldwind Pty Ltd for comment.