Yindjibarndi Energy Corporation (YEC) has lodged a development application for the Baru Marnda Renewable Energy Project on Yindjibarndi Ngurra, approximately 55km from Karratha in Western Australia.
Baru Marnda is proposed to include up to 1GW of wind generation, up to 500MW of solar generation, and a battery energy storage system (BESS).
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The project will feed renewable energy into the North West Interconnected System (NWIS) to help decarbonise local mining and industrial operations
At a national scale, the proposed wind component places Baru Marnda within the emerging gigawatt-scale class of Australian wind projects.
Baru Marnda also aligns with the State Government’s Pilbara Energy Transition Plan. YEC has been awarded Priority Project status for the Chichester Range Corridor, one of four priority common-use transmission corridors identified for the Pilbara.
YEC is a partnership between the Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation and renewables developer ACEN, with Yindjibarndi holding between 25% and 50% project-level equity across YEC’s renewable energy projects and retaining primary land tenure across project areas.
The development application brings together work across planning, environment, cultural heritage, water, transport, bushfire, noise, visual impact, aviation, and land tenure.
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If approved, Baru Marnda is scheduled to begin construction in 2028, with commercial operation expected in 2031.
