Hundreds of NSW jobs to be supported by new 420MW wind farm project

Monica Gameng   |   November 8, 2020
Hills of Gold Wind Farm (cr: Engie)

Independent power producer Engie will be taking over the development of the 420MW Hills of Gold Wind Farm in New South Wales following its purchase of development rights for the project. 

“The Hills of Gold Wind Farm is a quality project that adds renewable energy to the national grid, while also creating local economic activity during construction and operation of the 25-year lifespan of the asset. 

“We’re looking forward to the opportunity of building the Hills of Gold Wind Farm and to working with the local community to unlock the benefits of renewable energy development,” Engie said in a statement. 

The Hills of Gold Wind Farm is set to become the State’s largest wind project to date, and it is going to be built in the New England region – approximately 5 kilometres south of Hanging Rock and 8 kilometres south east of Nundle. 

hills-of-gold-project-locationProject map (source: Engie)

This renewable energy project will comprise of up to 70 wind turbines, each having a generating capacity of 6MW, and a 33kV/330kV on site substation that will connect to the existing 330kV TransGrid Liddell to Tamworth overhead transmission line network using a dedicated transmission line from the Hills of Gold Wind Farm. 

A number of associated infrastructures will also be delivered. This includes planned upgrades to local roads and bridges leading up to the project site; a meteorological monitoring mast that will enable monitoring of wind speed and direction; and ancillary facilities such as a maintenance and storage shed, a site office and car parking facilities. 

During its construction, the project is anticipated to create up to 215 direct and 430 indirect jobs. A further 30 permanent jobs and 50 indirect jobs will also be created once the new wind farm is operational. 

Once up and running, the Hills of Gold Wind Farm is expected to generate up to 1,100GWh of clean energy a year, enough to power up to 185,000 average Australian homes. 

The project is currently progressing through the planning process and construction on the wind farm is expected to commence in early 2022. 

Source: Engie; Hills of Gold Energy; Renew EconomyNS Energy Business; Renewables NowPower Technology 

New call-to-action

Monica Gameng
As Felix's Marketing Assistant since 2015, Monica is responsible for researching and sharing new and progressing projects within the construction and mining sectors in Australia. It's no surprise that Monica has her finger on the pulse of Australian major projects given she has produced more than 1,000 posts. She truly is an industry expert.
Follow me:

Related Articles

Projects, NSW
$420m Pacific Highway upgrade through Wyong Town Centre marks new milestone

The $420 million Pacific Highway upgrade through Wyong Town Centre in New South Wales is gearing towards construction, with the proposed final design for the project now out for community consultation. 

Projects
Funding secured for $420m Pacific Hwy upgrade in Wyong NSW

Through the 2022-23 Federal Budget, the Australian Government will be investing $336 million to deliver upgrades on the Pacific Highway in Wyong to relieve congestion as well as improve travel times and safety along this route. 

Projects
Stage 2 of Gold Coast Light Rail: $420m construction to start in July

After awarding CPB Contractors the contract to design and build Stage 2 of the Gold Cost Light Rail in March this year, the Qld Govt and GoldLinQ entered into a partnership to deliver the extension in time for the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Get the latest project news

Formerly known as the PlantMiner blog, Felix Project News is Australia's top 10 Construction blog. Join thousands of construction and mining pros getting the best content right in their inbox.
  • updates on Australia's pipeline of state and federal projects
  • fresh contract awards from major contractors and builders

If you're looking to contact us about other matters, please contact us.