The Plains Renewable Energy Park is a newly proposed large-scale development that aims to harness wind and solar energy to provide cheap, reliable and clean electricity for homes and businesses in NSW. The renewable energy park will include the construction of an integrated wind and solar farm and will operate alongside agricultural activities.
Located south of Hay, The Plains Renewable Energy Park is strategically positioned within the South-West Renewable Energy Zone (REZ), which was identified by the NSW Government due to the abundance of high-quality wind and solar resources, proximity to transmission infrastructure, relative land-use compatibility and a strong pipeline of potential projects.
The Plains Renewable Energy Park is currently in the initial stages of consulting with local community members and conducting feasibility studies.
Typically, renewable energy projects can take between three and seven years, from initial concept through to construction, with The Plains currently developing an initial concept
To support the transition to cleaner and cheaper energy, The Plains Renewable Energy Park aims to have a generating capacity of up to 1,900 megawatts, which is the equivalent of powering up to 1.17 million average NSW homes
To achieve a 1,900 megawatt capacity, preliminary estimates indicate the development may include up to 188 wind turbine generators and approximately 900,900 solar panels
The Project is expected to include a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) with a capacity of up to 400 MW / 1.6 GWh
Wind turbines are normally around 280 meters tall.