Irish renewable energy developer DP Energy has announced plans to build a wind-plus-storage project in Queensland, Australia, featuring up to 2,000MWh of battery energy storage.
The developer has a development pipeline of over 4.5GW of renewable energy projects across Ireland, the UK, Australia and Canada, and seeks to build the Windy Plains Renewable Energy Park in northwestern Queensland, 40km southeast of Julia Creek.
DP Energy’s Windy Plains Renewable Energy Park will feature around 197 wind turbines with a generation capacity of up to 1,400MW. A 500MW 4-hour duration battery energy storage system (BESS) will be co-located at the wind project.
It will connect to the National Electricity Market (NEM), which spans Australia’s eastern and southern coasts, as well as Tasmania, and be in close proximity to the new CopperString transmission line being constructed by state-owned network operator Powerlink Queensland.
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For readers unaware, the CopperString 2032 aims to deliver 840km of new electricity transmission from Mount Isa to Townsville, extending the NEM to Queensland’s North West Minerals Province. Approximately 200km of additional transmission line will be required to connect new renewable energy generators to the project.
DP Energy confirmed that its Australia team is now engaging with early project neighbours, including McKinlay Shire Council, Queensland government agencies, First Nations, and other stakeholders, with eyes to progress the wind-plus-storage site.
Hugh Cantwell, DP Energy Australia’s head of development, says the wind project is perfectly positioned to tap into North Queensland’s “incredible” wind resources, likely resulting in substantial economic benefits for the region.
“With strong, consistent winds, ample land, and direct access to new transmission infrastructure, it [the Windy Plains Renewable Energy Park] will power both the grid and local growth for decades to come,” Cantwell said.
DP Energy has three other renewable energy projects it is currently exploring in Australia. This includes the Port Augusta Renewable Energy Park and the Callide and Euston wind farms.
The largest is the Euston Wind Farm, located in New South Wales. It will feature 700MW of wind generation and an undisclosed BESS capacity.
Callide is a smaller wind site in Queensland with an expected generation capacity of 430MW, whereas the Port Augusta Renewable Energy Park in South Australia is a hybrid solar-wind site with 210MW of wind and 107MW of solar PV.
Last week, developers Someva Renewables and Mainstream Renewable Power submitted plans for a 500MW wind-plus-storage project, which features a 500MW/2,000MWh co-located BESS, to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act.
The Sunny Corner Wind Farm is being pursued via a joint venture established between the two developers. It is proposed in the Sunny Corner State Forest, which is managed by the Forestry Corporation of NSW.
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