Australian firm WestWind Energy recently announced that its onshore wind project, Warracknabeal Energy Park, has obtained environmental approval from the Victorian Government. Upon completion, it will become the largest planned wind farm across the Southern Hemisphere.

Spanning around 26,000 hectares, the project is set to deploy 219 wind turbines with a unit capacity of 7-8 MW, a rotor diameter of 200 metres and a maximum tip height of 280 metres, bringing the total installed capacity to 1.5 GW. It involves an investment of approximately 5 billion Australian dollars, equivalent to 3.25 billion US dollars, and will be equipped with two battery energy storage systems ranging from 300 MWh to 600 MWh.

Once operational, the wind farm will supply 12.5% of Victoria’s total electricity demand, power around 1.2 million local households and cut carbon dioxide emissions by over 4.2 million tonnes every year.

Developed by local Australian developer WestWind Energy, the company has already built Golden Plains Wind Farm, Australia’s current largest wind facility with an installed capacity of 1.3 GW. It is also advancing plans for more renewable energy schemes, including a 1.5 GW wind project in southwestern New South Wales and another 1.5 GW wind farm in northern Queensland.

The Warracknabeal Energy Park has passed the state-level environmental impact assessment. It will surpass Golden Plains Wind Farm to rank as the biggest wind farm in the Southern Hemisphere after completion.