Spanish energy company Acciona Energia has proposed a $6 billion, 3-gigawatt wind farm in Western Australia's south-west. 

The Bellwether project could fill the power gap expected after the state's last coal plants close by the end of the decade.

Bellwether will feature about 400 turbines installed across 100,000 hectares of farmland, located 60 kilometres east of Collie, where Western Australia's last coal-fired power plants are set to shut down. 

Construction could begin by 2028, with the first power generation expected by 2030.

At 3 gigawatts, Bellwether will be Australia's largest renewable energy project, surpassing Acciona's current record-holder, the 930 MW MacIntyre project in Queensland, and even Victoria's 1.33 GW Golden Plains wind farm. 

“At that size, it could be the largest onshore wind farm outside of China,” Acciona WA General Manager Jeff Nitsch has told reporters.

Western Australia is already seeing a major shift towards renewable energy, with over 40 per cent of the state’s electricity now coming from renewable sources. 

That share is expected to grow as coal plants retire and the state accelerates electrification in homes and industries. 

Reports say the state's isolated grid requires significant investment in new transmission infrastructure to support renewable energy projects like Bellwether.

Other large-scale renewable projects in the region include the 2,240 MWh Neoen battery and 2,000 MWh Synergy battery in Collie, as well as Trina Solar’s proposed 2,640 MWh battery south of Perth. 

CareerSpot This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.