Frequently Asked Questions

Boulder Creek Wind Farm is a wind farm project under construction 40 KM southwest of Rockhampton in Central Queensland.

When completed, the project will consist of 38 wind turbines and supporting infrastructure, including underground cabling, operations and maintenance facilities and an onsite switching station. Boulder Creek Wind Farm is expected to begin operating in late 2027.

When completed, the project will generate 228 megawatts of wind generation capacity. That’s enough energy to power the equivalent of more than 85,000 homes.

The clean energy project will offset 379,000 tonnes of CO2 each year, equivalent to taking over 130,000 petrol cars off the road.

The project will use GE Vernova turbines, with a tip height of approximately 230m above ground.

The project is co-owned by Aula Energy, a specialist renewable energy business, and CS Energy, a Queensland Government owned corporation.

Located on the ranges between Mount Morgan and Westwood, the site is ideal for wind energy generation. It has a strong wind resource and is close to the existing transmission network.

Renewable power generated by the project will connect to the existing Powerlink transmission line that crosses the site. The wind farm will not require any new external transmission lines.

Construction began in November 2024 and is expected to take approximately three years. Operations are expected to commence in late 2027.

The project has secured all necessary federal and state government approvals and is subject to a range of conditions, including securing an environmental offset area of 1,215 hectares. Agreements are in place with host landholders and Traditional Owners the Gangulu People, part of the Gaangalu Nation and Darumbal Peoples.

The project  involves road upgrades and the construction of 1.5 km of new road leading to and from the new site. Traffic management plans will be in place while construction works are occurring. The project will seek input from the local community to ensure appropriate consideration is given to children travelling to and from the school bus.

More information about road works and construction traffic can be found in the project’s pre-construction factsheet.

The wind farm will be developed on pastoral land predominantly used for cattle grazing that will continue during the construction and operations phases of the project.

A majority of the disturbance footprint is associated with cut and fill batters to form the 6.5m wide site access road to wind turbine pads. Once the road is formed, the cut and fill batters are stabilised and rehabilitated leaving a smaller operational footprint of less than one per cent of the total land area.

The project is subject to a range of conditions including securing an environmental offset area of 1,215 hectares.

As part of the Project’s state and federal approvals, a Construction Environmental Management Plan, Vegetation and Fauna Management Plan, Offset Area Management Plan, Matters of National Environmental Significance Management Plan and Cycas megacarpa Translocation Management Plan have been established to manage and minimise impacts to protected native species.

Qualified wildlife handlers will be on site during activities involving the clearing of vegetation. Wildlife handlers inspect trees and vegetation for any wildlife that needs relocating to a comparable habitat before clearing activities occur.

Water will be sourced from local supplies, subject to availability and within the constraints of the development consent for the project. Once constructed, water will only be required to meet domestic/personal requirements for maintenance staff.

Cultural Heritage Investigation Management Agreements (CHIMA) are in place with both Traditional Owner groups and we are working collaboratively with both parties. For example, Darumbal representatives are working on site as fauna spotter catchers and are conducting preclearance surveys to protect Indigenous artifacts.

This partnership will continue throughout the construction and operations phases of the project.

The project will provide an economic boost to the region by supporting up to 250 jobs during construction and the project continues to seek applications from local businesses and individuals who would like to be involved.

The project will provide further local benefits through the establishment of a Community Benefit Fund to be administered during construction and operations, to support local initiatives with environmental, social and net-zero objectives.

The project consults closely with local landholders, neighbours, and the broader community to share updates and obtain feedback. A Boulder Creek Wind Farm Community Liaison Group (CLG) consisting of members from the local area has been established to represent the interests of the nearby communities.

You can register here to receive project updates. 

If you have a query or a complaint about the project, you can email [email protected] or phone 1800 983 637.