The Victorian Government has given final approval to a 219-turbine wind farm at Warracknabeal Energy Park. It is the largest proposed wind farm in the Southern Hemisphere. The project will now go to the federal government for formal assessment. It is expected to power 1.2 million homes and bring economic opportunity to the town. Doctors for the Environment representative Dr Ben Ewald says the approval is a positive step in curbing carbon emissions, as it could allow more coal power plants to close.
Community groups near the Bango Wind Farm can apply for grants from the Bango Wind Farm Community Enhancement Fund, which opens on Tuesday 20 October 2026. The fund will contribute $80,862 this year to not-for-profit groups, organisations, associations and clubs with projects within a 20-kilometre radius of the wind farm. Applications close at 5:00 pm on Tuesday 17 November 2026. Application forms and guidelines will be available from the Hilltops Council website from the opening date. The fund is run by a committee that will review applications and decide how the money is allocated.
Federal Skills and Training Minister Andrew Giles visited the SEC Delburn Wind Farm to highlight the Powering Her Pathways program. The program encourages women to enter the energy trades, a field where they make up about 16 per cent of the workforce and six per cent of energy apprentices. TAFE Gippsland runs a six-week taster course, backed by just under $1 million from the federal government. Grace Harding, a Latrobe Valley local who completed the first taster course, is now a health and safety officer trainee at Delta Group.
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Atmos Renewables has acquired the proposed Bullawah Wind Farm near Hay from BayWa r.e., taking control of the major South West Renewable Energy Zone project. The development, about 40 kilometres south-east of Hay, plans 141 wind turbines producing around 800 megawatts and a 359-megawatt battery storage system. Construction could create up to 380 local jobs. Atmos has said it will honour existing landowner and community agreements, and aims to make the project investment-ready by 2027. The deal also includes the Yatpool Solar Farm near Mildura and the Hughenden Solar Farm in central Queensland.
Victoria has cleared the Warracknabeal Energy Park, which developer WestWind Energy says would be the largest wind farm in the Southern Hemisphere. Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny signed off on the project, which needs final checks from the federal environment minister. The plan covers 219 turbines across 26,000 hectares of farmland in the Wheatbelt, along with two battery storage systems. The developer says it would produce 1.5 gigawatts of power and create close to 950 construction jobs. Local figures have raised concerns about housing, hospital services and transmission lines, while a farmer who owns the land backs the project.
Construction has started on the Palmer Wind Farm, 60km east of Adelaide, after more than a decade of delays. The 288-megawatt project, which faced significant community opposition, is expected to power up to 142,000 South Australian homes. The farm was scaled back from 103 turbines to 40 following legal challenges, including an appeal to the state's Environment, Resources and Development Court. The project is backed by the federal government's Capacity Investment Scheme and is expected to create more than 200 construction jobs.
