Barn Hill Wind Farm and Battery Project

AGL is developing the Barn Hill Wind Farm and Battery Project near Redhill in South Australia.

AGL is developing the Barn Hill Wind Farm and Battery Project near Redhill in South Australia. The project consists of a wind farm up to 320 MW, a new transmission connection and the potential inclusion of a 320 MW battery with up to 4 hours duration.

Project Overview

Wind farm size	Up to 320 MW
Battery	Up to 320 MW - 4 hours duration
Tip height	Up to 250m
Asset life	About 35 years
Approval process	Seeking Crown Sponsorship
Target FID	Mid 2026
Construction duration	About 2 years (Construction Environmental Management Plan will be developed)
Operations	Mid 2029
Job creation	About 200 at peak of construction

About the project

The Project is located approximately 4.5 km to the south-west of the township of Redhill, South Australia. The wind farm will be located across the hilltops between the Snowtown Wind Farm and the Clements Gap Wind Farm.

Barn Hill has a very strong wind resource with a non-solar correlated output profile.

AGL acquired the Project in 2009 with development plan consent from the Port Pirie Regional Council and the Wakefield Regional Council already in place.

Due to growth in the project scope, including larger wind turbines and the inclusion of a BESS, AGL is now seeking new approvals through the State Government Crown Sponsorship process.

The BESS has the potential to improve the economics of the project by ‘time shifting’ low-cost wind power from when it is generated to a later time when wind farm output is low. Batteries also improve the reliability of the grid by dispatching when energy demands exceed generation, and supports the security of the grid by stabilising the frequency and providing other system services.

By providing these services, batteries also help keep downward pressure on power bills.

A number of options are being considered for the potential location of the BESS.

2024 - 3rd quarter

Planning approval
2025 - 2nd quarter

Detail design
2026 - 2nd quarter

Financial investment decision
2027 - 2nd quarter

Construction commences
2029 - 2nd quarter

Project commissioning

Environment

While all necessary environmental assessments were previously undertaken and approved as part of the development plan consent granted by the Port Pirie Regional Council and Wakefield Regional Council, AGL will undertake these assessments again as part of the new State Government Crown Sponsorship application process. This includes assessments for Aboriginal Cultural Heritage, flora and fauna (including birds), noise, visual, shadow flicker, fire and traffic.

Transmission connection

A new transmission line will connect the wind farm to the grid. A number of options are being considered for the transmission line route and AGL is engaging with landowners who may be impacted.

Community and stakeholder feedback

AGL is engaging with landowners, Traditional Owner Groups, State and Federal governments, Port Pirie and Wakefield councils, and the broader local community about the Project. The project team will continue to visit the site to provide updates to stakeholders and receive feedback from the community.

Once the application is made stakeholders will be able to make submissions in response to the application. Enquiries about the project can also be made by contacting AGL on:

1800 039 600 | AGLCommunity@agl.com.au

Community complaints and enquiries

AGL understands that we don’t always get it right, and we want to be informed when we don’t. If you would like to provide any feedback, good or bad, or simply ask some questions, please feel free to get in touch via the following channels:

Learn more about how we handle general customer complaints on our complaints page.