The Bendemeer Renewable Energy Hub is a sustainable project comprising of a 257MW DC solar field and 360MW wind farm, co-located in the beautiful community of Bendemeer, in the New England region of New South Wales.
This exciting project will consist of up to 430,000 solar panels and approximately 51 wind turbines. The solar project will be commenced first, followed by the wind farm, in order to meet the needs of the National Electricity Market. Other ancillary facilities such as transmission lines, switchyard, access roads (upgrading of existing roads and new built), operations and maintenance facilities will also be built.
This $1.2 billion project will provide a huge economic boost to the local community of Bendemeer and wider Tamworth region. More than 557 jobs will be created during the construction and operational phases of the project, which will also deliver unique opportunities for local skills growth, education and learning.
The Bendemeer Renewable Energy Hub will make important contributions towards the NSW Government’s net-zero emissions by 2050, by supplying clean renewable energy into the grid. This massive amount of clean energy is critical to replace the fossil energy from nearby coal-fired power plants, which will be decommissioned progressively from 2023.
The proposed location of the Bendemeer Renewable Energy Hub is east of the Bendemeer township, in the New England region of NSW, approximately 40km from Tamworth, and 70km from Armidale. The proposed project site is located east of the New England Highway, with solar panels proposed to be placed on the southern side of the Oxley Highway and wind turbines proposed to be placed on the northern and southern sides of the Oxley Highway.
The location for the Bendemeer Renewable Energy Hub has been selected based on the high-quality solar and wind resources available in close proximity.
The proposed location of the Bendemeer Renewable Energy Hub sits within the NSW Government’s New England Renewable Energy Zone (REZ), which is one of five REZs identified across the state. The REZs will play a vital role in delivering affordable, reliable energy generation to help replace the state’s existing power stations as they come to their scheduled end of operational life.
Another added benefit of the location is the existing 330 kV transmission network, owned and operated by TransGrid, passes through the proposed project site. This will ensure the project can connect to the electricity grid through existing infrastructure, avoiding the need to develop additional transmission lines.
