NSW approves 1.4GW Baldon wind farm without a grid connection

Overview

Updated 47 minutes ago

New South Wales' Independent Planning Commission approved the Baldon Wind Farm on 10 November 2026. The project, developed by Goldwind Capital, allows up to 175 turbines reaching 300 metres at the blade tip, on farmland about 64 kilometres south-west of Hay. It is the second-largest wind farm the state has approved, behind Bullawah in October.

The approval does not come with a connection to the South West Renewable Energy Zone's new transmission lines. Goldwind lost that allocation in December 2025. Its first stage is therefore capped at roughly 200 megawatts through an existing 220-kilovolt line, about one-seventh of the 1,400-megawatt nameplate figure.

Why it matters

Australia now hands out grid space before projects are built, so a planning approval without it is only half a wind farm.

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Key Indicators

1,400 MW

Approved generating capacity

Nameplate capacity across both stages, if both are ever built.

175

Turbines approved

The planning portal describes the proposal as up to 180 turbines.

300 m

Maximum turbine height

Tip height, about 100 metres taller than any turbine now operating in NSW.

Turbines in stage one

The only stage with a grid connection pathway, via the X5 Balranald to Darlington Point line.

200 MW

Stage one grid capacity

Goldwind told the commission the local network caps stage one output.

72 of 80

Submissions opposing the project

Opposition volume triggered referral to the Independent Planning Commission.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

People Involved

Medard Boutry

Goldwind Australia representative

Presented the project's case to the Independent Planning Commission

Terry Dodds

Chief executive, Balranald Shire Council

Raised transport concerns at the commission hearings

Organizations Involved

Goldwind Capital

Wind farm developer

Holds planning approval; must satisfy conditions before construction

The development arm of Chinese turbine maker Goldwind, which proposed Baldon and is now working through consent conditions and grid agreements.

NSW Independent Planning Commission

State planning tribunal

Approved the project with conditions

The three-member panel that decides state-significant projects referred to it, usually because of community opposition.

EnergyCo (NSW Government)

Government energy infrastructure agency

Allocated the zone's transmission access to four other projects

The agency building New South Wales' renewable energy zones and deciding which projects get to use the new lines.

Balranald Shire Council

Local government

Supportive of wind projects, focused on transport disruption

The shire that oversized turbine parts must pass through on the Sturt Highway.

Timeline

December 2025 November 2026

4 events Latest: Today

Tap a bar to jump to that date

November 2026
Baldon wins planning approval
Today Approval

The Independent Planning Commission clears 1,400 MW of wind capacity with conditions on roads, traffic and rehabilitation.
Today
October 2026
Commission hears two years of truck complaints
Hearing

Balranald Shire warns that 6.5-metre tower sections will disrupt the Sturt Highway and its caravan trade.
October 2026
Bullawah approved, briefly the state's largest
Approval

A wind farm and battery project is approved in October, setting the benchmark Baldon lands behind.
October 2026
December 2025
Baldon misses the zone's grid auction
Allocation

EnergyCo awards South West REZ transmission access to Yanco Delta, Dinawan, Bullawah and Pottinger. Baldon is not among them.
December 2025

Scenarios

Goldwind reaches financial close on stage one

Likely Resolves by Q2 2028

Discussed by: Goldwind's own project updates and the commission's consent conditions

Goldwind finalises its connection agreement for the X5 line, satisfies the consent conditions and arranges financing. Stage one goes ahead with about 45 turbines and up to 400 megawatts of battery storage. The company has said building both stages back to back would take up to 42 months.

Baldon picks up REZ capacity from a forfeited slot

Possible Resolves by Q2 2029

Discussed by: Goldwind's planning documents, which name headroom assessments and forfeiture as possible routes

One of the four projects holding South West REZ access rights misses its development milestones, or EnergyCo tenders spare capacity after a headroom assessment. Goldwind applies and wins, unlocking stage two and the full 1,400 megawatts.

Opponents take the consent to court

Possible Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: Local opposition groups that filed the bulk of the 72 objections

A challenger applies to the NSW Land and Environment Court for judicial review of the commission's decision, arguing an error in how the panel weighed traffic, cumulative impacts or threatened species. The challenge would not automatically stop early works, but it would complicate financing.

Consent lapses before any turbine goes up

Unlikely Resolves by Nov 10, 2031

Discussed by: Infrastructure analysts tracking Australian renewable projects approved without grid access

Stage two never finds a connection, stage one financing stalls, and the consent expires without construction. The site reverts to farmland and Goldwind writes off development costs.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

2001-2017

Cape Wind, Massachusetts (2001-2017)

A 468-megawatt wind farm proposed for Nantucket Sound spent more than a decade in permitting. It cleared federal review in 2010, but local opposition, litigation and the collapse of its power contracts kept it from being built.

Then

The developer won permits but could not secure buyers for the electricity.

Now

The project was abandoned in 2017 and its permits surrendered. No turbine was installed.

Why this matters now

Baldon now has the same split: a planning approval in hand and no confirmed route to sell most of its output.

2016-2017

Hornsdale Wind Farm and battery, South Australia (2016-2017)

A wind farm near Jamestown was built in stages and paired with a large lithium battery, which at the time was the biggest grid-connected battery in the world. The pairing let the site store and shift power rather than spill it when the network was congested.

Then

The battery became the public face of grid-scale storage in Australia.

Now

Co-locating batteries with wind and solar became standard practice in Australian project design.

Why this matters now

Goldwind has flagged batteries alongside individual Baldon turbines, a design that helps when the connection itself is the bottleneck.