Wind farm developers in NSW say their projects are being stalled by approval delays, community objections and slow connections to the power grid, putting at risk investments needed to help retire coal and reach Australia’s renewable energy targets.

No wind farms have been granted planning approval for 28 months in the country’s most populous state, and companies with projects in the pipeline say a breakthrough is needed soon to have a chance of reaching 2030 climate goals and to head off the risk that coal-fired power plants will be needed for longer.