A company is seeking approval to build Australia’s largest wind farm, which would be able to power up to 400,000 homes, in the New South Wales outback.
Epuron, a subsidiary of German renewable energy group Conergy AG, wants to place 500 turbines on up to five private properties at Silverton, near Broken Hill, in the state’s far west.
Executive director Andrew Durran says the wind farm could produce more than half the renewable energy target proposed for the state.
Mr Durran says it would satisfy almost 4.5 per cent of the state’s power demand.
State legislation on renewable energy targets is due to be debated in the next session of Parliament but Mr Durran is concerned the Bill does not stipulate that projects must be state-based.
"That’s why we’re announcing this today," he said. "It’s to prove that New South Wales has got more than enough capacity to deliver its targets.
"NSW is the best state in Australia for wind farms – it has excellent wind resources, it has a very strong power-transmission network.
"This one project can deliver more than half the renewable energy target proposed in NSW."
The company says strong state legislation would give it the confidence to proceed.