The first of 207 wind turbine blades arrived at Uungula Wind Farm on Tuesday, August 11, completing a two-day journey from the Port of Newcastle.

It marked a major milestone for the 411MW Squadron Energy project near Wellington – the only wind farm currently under construction in NSW – which is currently two-thirds complete. Construction on the 69-turbine site is expected to ramp up now that the project has entered the tower installation phase.

After leaving the Port of Newcastle in the early hours of Monday, August 10, the 80-metre turbine blade travelled to a rest stop near Elong Elong, where drivers and crew rested overnight before continuing to Uungula Wind Farm the next day, arriving around 11am.

Squadron Energy said the 93-metre truck and trailer made the trip under carefully managed transport arrangements, including police escorts, pilot vehicles, detailed journey planning and road upgrades, to minimise the impact on communities along the route.

Company CEO Rob Wheals said a massive logistical operation was underway to safely move the blades and 700 other giant turbine components to Uungula via international waters, the Port of Newcastle, and regional roads.

“Every delivery to Uungula reflects the meticulous efforts of transport operators, NSW Police, road authorities, local contractors and construction teams who are working together to safely move the blades,” Mr Wheals said, indicating six blades were moved in the first fortnight of the operation.

“Our logistics teams and drivers are focussed on the safest way to navigate every turn, learning from each delivery and fine-tuning the operation before we look to increase movements from week three.”

Squadron Energy has invested tens of millions of dollars on upgrading roads, as well as more than $6 million on legacy infrastructure and community projects as part of its commitment to the Uungula project.

However, impacts to the road network, in particular, the Golden Highway – one of NSW’s most strategically important freight corridors, linking Dubbo and the Central West Orana Renewable Energy Zone directly to the Port of Newcastle – have been raised by Regional Development Australia (RDA) Orana and RDA Hunter.

The start of turbine component delivery from Newcastle demonstrates exactly why urgent, coordinated investment is needed for the Golden Highway, the organisations said in a statement.

“The Golden Highway is carrying national-scale freight on infrastructure that no longer matches the task,” RDA Orana Chair Brad Cam said.

“The turbine components are now moving before critical safety works have been completed. Communities are already experiencing lengthy delays, and this is only the beginning,” he added.

The Golden Highway spans more than 300 kilometres yet currently has only a small number of overtaking lanes. Work has begun on one additional lane and several

pullover areas for OSOM vehicles, but these upgrades are still under construction, RDA Orana said.

The Golden Highway Taskforce, convened by RDA Orana and RDA Hunter, is advocating for priority upgrades that were identified through extensive engagement with industry, freight operators, councils and regional stakeholders as part of a comprehensive transport study and business case.

In the meantime, readers planning to travel on the Golden Highway can stay up to date with any impacts along the route via the Live Traffic NSW app or by calling 132 701.