The Central Highlands Council has approved Ark Energy’s proposed St Patricks Plains Wind Farm, which will have 47 turbines and a generation capacity of up to 300MW.
Council’s approval in its capacity as Planning Authority follows receipt of the Environment Protection Authority Tasmania’s (EPA) environmental conditions set by the Board of the EPA.
The EPA also assessed matters protected under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act 1999 (EPBC Act). The EPA found that “the proposal is capable of being managed in an environmentally acceptable manner”.
Ark Energy’s General Manager Development for Tasmania, Donna Bolton, said that she was pleased with the Central Highlands Council’s decision, and the project would be an important one for the local area and the state.
“The St Patricks Plains Wind Farm site is an excellent location for wind energy generation. Grid connection is on-site, residual environmental impacts can be managed and the wind resource is excellent.”
Ms Bolton said that the project will deliver much needed new renewable electricity generation to help Tasmania benefit from its world leading wind resource and achieve its renewable energy target, as well as bring a wide range of benefits for the local community and region.
“We thank our host landowners and community members for their ongoing support, and look forward to progressing the project and providing more information to the growing list of local residents, suppliers and business owners excited by the opportunity to be part of this project.
“To date we have received interest from 40 Tasmanian-based companies and owners of 50 local properties to provide services and accommodation during construction.”
The St Patricks Plains Wind Farm has been in development since 2019 and underwent several design iterations, including removal of 20 wind turbines, to avoid environmental impacts, minimise visual impacts and address community concerns.
“We have worked hard to avoid and minimise potential environmental impacts, and the unavoidable environmental impacts are manageable, as shown by the EPA’s report,” Ms Bolton said.
“The Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagle has been a key species of focus. Proactive avoidance and the latest technology have been combined to achieve the least impact possible to Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagles. Major design revisions have been made to avoid areas used by eagles and the Identiflight curtailment system will be installed across the site to minimise collision risk.
“We will continue to seek to minimise environmental impacts, be a good neighbour to those around the project area and work diligently to deliver benefits from the project to the local community and wider region.”
Ark Energy said that it will now consider the conditions issued with the permit approval and looks forward to receiving a final decision under the EPBC Act from the Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW).
The St Patricks Plains Wind Farm consists of 47 wind turbines and ancillary infrastructure across several properties used mostly for livestock grazing and forestry and would have a generation capacity of up to 300MW.
Tasmanian Minister for Energy and Renewables, Nick Duigan, said, “It is good to see progress being made on projects like this. It’s great news and is another big step in growing Tasmanian’s renewable energy resource.
“This project will also make a significant contribution to achieving our Renewable Energy Target, to double energy production by 2040. Our state needs new renewable generation to support our growing economy, including expanding existing, and new industries.
Mr Duigan said that renewable energy development is subject to rigorous and independent development, environmental and cultural heritage assessments across the three tiers of government, with public consultation a critically important part of that process.
“It’s this government’s expectation that developers engage with stakeholders and communities to work proactively with them in developing solutions that minimise any potential impact of developments.”
“It’s good to see this has happened.”
Image credit: Phtopro/Shutterstock.com.
