CONSTRUCTION could start as soon as mid-next year on a renewable energy project proposed for the Oberon local government area.
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While it has been solar farms that have been proposed for Bathurst in recent years - and which have faced trenchant opposition from near neighbours - it's a wind farm that is on the cards for the Oberon area.
The wind farm is proposed to cover an area of 3900 hectares on either side of Abercrombie Road at the far south of the shire, just before the descent to the Abercrombie River.
The land is currently used for grazing and will still be available for that purpose once construction has finished.
The project is being proposed by Global Power Generation (GPG) Australia, which is part of the international Naturgy group and which already operates wind farms at Berrybank in Victoria and Crookwell in NSW, as well as two installations in Chile.
The proposed site will have up to 47 towers - each 240 metres tall at the upper blade tip - and will generate up to 290 megawatts of power.
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GPG says the Environmental Impact Statement will be released during August 2022 and construction could start as soon as mid-2023.
The wind farm would then be operational in 2025.
GPG held public meetings about the project at Black Springs Community Hall on July 28 and 29 and is planning further meetings as the project progresses.
Transporting the 65-metre blades through Oberon will involve 141 movements of very long loads.