New 490MW MidWest WA wind farm plans 2028 start-up

A proposed new wind farm near Badgingarra slated to produce 490-megawatts of power from 2028 could ease concerns about the South West power system ahead of the WA government closing its two coal-fired power stations in 2027 and 2029.

Details of the Parron wind farm were revealed on Monday as a two-week window for public comments started to kick off the federal environment approval process.

The clean energy would be sufficient to power 200,000 homes and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about one million tonnes a year, according to the submission to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act submission.

The project will also be referred to WA's Environmental Protection Authority.

In 2024, Atmos Renewables, the Australian renewables business of global infrastructure manager Igneo, partnered with Parron Developments, which has been developing the project since 2016.

Parron Developments director Tim Stephenson said if the project went ahead at its design capacity, the partners would contribute about $500,000 a year into a fund for the local community.

Stephenson's family owns the sheep farm that will host the wind turbines, bypassing the need for landowner negotiations. However, the companies are working with the local Yued community to ensure Aboriginal heritage is protected.

Stephenson said the Shire of Dandaragan approved the project's enlarged development application in December, and it will be referred to the WA Environmental Protection Authority shortly.

Atmos plans to make a final investment decision on Parron in early 2026, begin construction later that year, and start its operations in late 2028.

Alinta Energy's Yandin 50km, southeast of Parron, is currently WA's largest wind farm, capable of generating 214 megawatts from 51 turbines with a top-of-blade height of 180m, each capable of producing 4.3 megawatts.

Larger Vestas V162 turbines with a tip height of 230m capable of producing 6.2 megawatts are proposed for Parron. They will connect to a Western Power 330-kilovolt transmission line that runs along the western boundary of the project area.

The time and expense involved in gaining a connection to capacity on the state-owned transmission grid have been a concern of WA wind proponents for some years.

Western Power has been allocated $655 million in the state budget to upgrade its network in the area, under a program tagged the "Clean Energy Link – North Region."

The area inland of Jurien Bay is the hot spot for WA wind farms, with the Badgingarra wind farm adjacent to the Parron site.

In WA Atmos is also planning to start the construction of a four-hour 100-megawatt battery near Meddedin by mid-2025 and have it operational in late 2026. In the eastern states, it has interests in 17 operating wind and solar farms.

Also on Monday, the WA EPA decided not to assess Neoen's Narrogoin Wind Farm, which will have 25 turbines and a grid-scale battery.

Updated 6 January: Comments from Tim Stephenson added.