NSW renewable energy company Epuron today announced its proposal to develop Australia’s largest wind farm near Broken Hill in western NSW.

In a typical year the wind farm would be able to contribute up to 4.5% of the total energy needs of NSW and would be amongst the largest projects anywhere in the world.

“Our wind monitoring equipment north of Silverton in western NSW has revealed an amazing wind resource which will power between 400-500 wind turbines when completed,” Martin Poole, Executive Director of Epuron said.

“This project alone could contribute 4.5% of the total energy demands of NSW, supplying up to 400,000 homes with electricity.

“With a likely construction cost of $2 Billion, it will provide jobs and dollars for regional economies and play a significant role in addressing Australia’s climate change challenge.

“We are proceeding with this project on the assumption that the State and Federal Governments will legislate in the interests of developing Australia’s renewable energy industries- providing current and future certainty for projects like Silverton,” Mr Poole said.

“In the short term it is vital that the NSW Government’s NSW Renewable Energy Target (NRET) legislation acts to assist NSW-based projects like Silverton rather than impede them,” Mr Poole said.

Epuron has a wind monitoring network across NSW on sites identified for their wind farm development potential. These monitoring sites show excellent wind speeds in NSW.

“NSW has an excellent resource on a world-wide basis, and competitive with wind farms in better known wind regions like Tasmania and South Australia,” Mr Poole said.

These wind speeds, combined with a strong transmission system, high base-load energy prices and the largest electricity demand in the country, mean NSW is the best location in Australia for wind farms.

The project is likely to be the first in Australia to use wind energy production forecasting and actively bid into the National Electricity Market. It would be rolled out in stages, with construction likely to commence in 2009.

This large scale generator will help alleviate existing base-load power constraints in NSW and reduce the possibility of energy shortages in NSW.

Epuron will shortly commence community consultations and commence approvals processes with local councils and the NSW Government. The project is currently in the development phase.