Australia’s largest publicly owned wind farm one step closer to driving clean energy and jobs

• Publicly owned Stanwell Corporation is committed to building the 436.5MW Tarong West Wind Farm in the South Burnett
• The Miles Government has now approved a State Assessment and Referral Agency (SARA) application for the Tarong West Wind Farm
• The project is backed by $776.1 million from the Queensland Government’s Renewable Energy and Hydrogen Jobs Fund
• It would create around 200 construction jobs and 15 ongoing operational jobs.
• Contributes towards government commitment to producing 70% renewable energy by 2032, and 80% by 2035 as part of the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan.

The Miles Government has approved an application to develop the Tarong West Wind farm to help meet its commitment to producing 70% renewable energy by 2032, and 80% by 2035 as part of the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan.

Publicly owned Stanwell is working with global renewable energy developer RES to build the proposed 436.5MW wind farm which is located 30 kilometres south-west of Kingaroy.

The project will feature 97 wind turbines and produce enough clean energy to power the equivalent of 230,000 homes.

The project will provide big opportunities for local jobs and the economy, and is estimated to create approximately 200 jobs during construction and 15 ongoing operational roles.

Tarong West Wind Farm is backed by $776.1 million from the Queensland Government’s Renewable Energy and Hydrogen Jobs Fund and is underpinned by the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan objectives of fostering economic growth, promoting local employment, and supporting regional communities.

The assessment considered an accommodation strategy for workers to ensure housing supply in the region will not be adversely affected.

SARA has worked closely with the Department of Resources to ensure that the development helps protect important areas of ecological significance including protecting up to 13.47ha of koala habitat.

Conditions have been imposed for offsetting impacts for up to 5.4 ha of Koala habitat in addition to requirements to rehabilitate areas cleared during construction, to the greatest extent possible.

Construction is expected to commence from 2025.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Energy and Clean Economy Jobs Mick de Brenni:

“This project is about more than generating clean energy, it’s about job security for the local workforce.

“Building this major energy infrastructure creates about 200 construction jobs, delivers a financial boost to the region and long term operations and maintenance roles.

“All of this is at risk under an LNP Government, who voted against renewable energy targets, and who we know will keep coal burning for longer.”

Quotes attributed to Stanwell CEO Michael O’Rourke:

The Tarong West Wind Farm is a critical part of not only Stanwell’s plan to decarbonise our existing portfolio, but it’s critical to Queensland reaching its renewable energy targets.

This development approval brings us one step closer to our aim of having 9 to 10 GW of large-scale wind and solar capacity by 2035 and we are continuing to work with RES through the approval processes so we can bring this project to life.

The 436.5MW wind farm will not only provide enough clean energy into the network to power the equivalent of 230,000 homes, it will also bring significant regional benefits to the community and also provide future career opportunities for our people.

Further information:

For more information on the Homes for Queenslanders plan visit: Homes for Queenslanders (housing.qld.gov.au)

For more information on SARA visit: State Assessment and Referral Agency | Planning

For more information on the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan visit: Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan | Department of Energy and Climate

ENDS