Windlab welcomes the recent approval of Prairie Wind Farm under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). This significant milestone highlights our commitment to environmentally sound practices and strong community support.

Reflecting on this achievement, Windlab’s CEO John Martin emphasised, “Windlab is responsibly developing Prairie in a way that minimises potential impacts on ecology.

“Securing EPBC Act approval reflects around four years of detailed responsible design, and over two years environmental scrutiny, and consultation. 

 “We are committed to achieving better outcomes for both nature and communities, going beyond just reducing emissions.

“By collaborating closely with communities and prioritising sustainable practices, we demonstrate how renewable energy can harmoniously coexist with the land while also fostering sustainable and equitable regional economic opportunities for everyone.”

Prairie Wind Farm is a renewable energy project located on an active cattle property in the Flinders Shire in north-west Queensland, about340km south-west of Townsville. Once operational, Prairie Wind Farm will produce enough clean, low-cost energy to power one in every six Queensland homes, while eliminating close to 3 million tonnes of carbon from Australia’s energy generation profile every year.

“During construction, Prairie is set to create around500jobs and could inject more than $400 million into regional Queensland through employment, supply, and contracting opportunities,” Mr Martin said.*

“Windlab is incredibly proud to have played a key role in advancing Prairie, a project that deeply aligns with the region’s renewable energy ambitions.

“We share a long history with the Flinders Shire, having identified and proved the region’s strategically critical renewable energy resource around 15 years ago through the development of our pioneering Kennedy Energy Park.”

Prairie is part of the North Queensland Super Hub, an umbrella for multiple individually permitted wind, solar, and storage projects co-located within the same region. This high-yield, multi-gigawatt resource is ideally suited for multiple offtake opportunities, while being compatible with existing agricultural land use.

Having received EPBC Act approval for our Gawara Baya project in June 2024, achieving a second project federal EPBC Act approval within a short period underscores Windlab's significant value as a trusted partner for community, stakeholders, and government in enabling Australia’s clean energy transition.

*The socio-economic impact figures provided are estimates based on our extensive experience with similar projects and are subject to final contracts and agreements.

For more information, please contact: media@windlab.com