Article by James Willis, courtesy of The Daily Telegraph.
13.09.2025
A controversial wind farm in regional NSW has been indefinitely delayed, with the private company suddenly pausing its initial project work.
It comes after a major campaign from The Telegraph, which highlighted fierce opposition to the proposal among local farmers and landowners.
Wind Prospect wanted to build 90 turbines between the towns of Bowning and Binalong, not far from Yass, in the NSW southern tablelands. Each structure would be 265m, which is almost as tall as Sydney’s Crown Barangaroo.
The company had been preparing to submit a scoping report to the NSW Planning Department this month, but in an email sent to residents on Thursday, Wind Prospect said it had decided to postpone the application until at least next year, allowing them to “carefully consider the feedback we’ve received from community members.”
Wind Prospect was approached for comment.
Local sheep farmer Emma Webb said that while the news was a “big win”, it would mean “families will continue to live under a cloud of uncertainty”.
“The time, energy and resources we have diverted into defending our community is unacceptable,” she said.
“This is another example of the power imbalance between regional communities and multinational corporations which have been given free rein on the path to Net Zero.”
The Telegraph has previously revealed the company made secret financial deals with multiple landowners to host the turbines, which had resulted in long-time neighbours no longer speaking.
One resident, Will Kelly, has agreed to host dozens of turbines on his giant rural property while living in a $7 million home at Bellevue Hill.
During a fiery town hall meeting at Bowning in July, farmer Glen Miller accused Wind Prospect of “drip-feeding” information to the community.
“I’ve been paying the Commonwealth Bank for 40 years. Everything I’ve been building – and you guys come along.
“My plans are shot because of these turbines,” Mr Miller said.
The town hall also heard strong opposition to the wind farm from local First Nations leaders, and environmentalists concerned about the survival of the wedge-tailed eagle.
Residents also questioned why the project did not currently have an effective plan to plug into the state’s power grid.
Goulburn MP Wendy Tuckerman told The Telegraph the news this week was a “small reprieve, but we still need to continue fighting to ensure the planning framework is protecting rural communities”.
“Now more than ever we must continue to be heard and get the energy roadmap right,” she said.
The UK-owned Wind Prospect has been planning to complete the initial stages of this project before handing operations over to Mint Renewables, which is a joint venture between New Zealand company Infratil and Australia’s Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation.