Australia's 1.4 GW Wongalee Wind Farm Receives Federal Environmental Approval

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 25, Windlab announced that the Wongalee Wind Farm, located in Flinders Shire, Queensland, Australia, has received federal environmental approval under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. With this, the project has completed the major government approval processes and will continue to advance toward financial close. The project is located in pastoral land northeast of Hughenden, approximately 300 kilometers from Townsville, and is planned to include up to 175 wind turbines with a total installed capacity of up to approximately 1.4 GW.

Wongalee is being jointly advanced by Windlab and Fortescue under a joint development agreement and is an important component of the North Queensland Super Hub. The project had previously obtained development approval at the Queensland state level. With the additional federal environmental approval, the major government approvals required for project construction are now essentially in place. Windlab stated that after years of environmental assessment, technical studies, and stakeholder engagement, the next phase will continue to advance commercial and financing arrangements.

According to federal approval documents, in addition to up to 175 turbines, the Wongalee project also includes supporting roads, transmission, and other ancillary infrastructure. The project initially entered the federal environmental approval process in 2023 and was identified as a controlled action requiring continued assessment under relevant environmental laws, with key environmental matters including threatened species, ecological communities, and migratory species.

The North Queensland Super Hub, where Wongalee is located, is a large-scale renewable energy development cluster in northern Queensland. With the project having obtained major approvals, the development focus will gradually shift toward financing, procurement, and construction preparation. With an installed capacity of up to 1.4 GW, Wongalee will become one of the larger onshore wind projects in the region and will provide additional generation capacity to support subsequent large-scale new energy power development and supporting transmission infrastructure construction.