Residents in wind farm fight

A GOLDEN Plains wind farm, crucial to Victoria’s plan to source half its electricity from renewables, will be challenged in the Supreme Court later this month.

A group, including affected farmers, will take on Planning Minister Richard Wynne and the project’s proponent Westwind Energy at trial after the $1.5 billion wind farm northwest of Geelong was approved by the state and federal governments.

A WIND farm crucial to Victoria’s target to source half of its electricity from renewables, and planned to be among the largest in the southern hemisphere, will be challenged in the Supreme Court later this month.

A group, including affected farmers, will take on planning minister Richard Wynne and the project’s proponent Westwind Energy at trial after the $1.5 billion Golden Plains wind farm northwest of Geelong was ticked off by the state and federal governments.

Objector Hamish Cumming, and Rokewood farmers Adam Walton and Kellie Walton, who are also behind the challenge, say the number of turbines included in the project should be reduced from 228 to about 130 to protect the brolga bird that breed in the area.

In court documents, the group says when approving the project last year the planning minister did not: ADEQUATELY apply the standard used to determine the buffer zone needed around the brolgas’ breeding ground; and PROPERLY apply the law because mandatory noise assessment reports were not initially required as part of the project’s permit.

The Golden Plains wind farm is set to be built across 16,500 hectares near Rokewood and is expected to generate enough to power more than 500,000 homes.

It is predicted the wind farm will prevent more than three million tonnes of carbon dioxide being pumped into the atmosphere each year.

The project’s 228 turbines are each expected to have a maximum blade tip height of 230m above ground level and a rotor diameter of up to 150m.

Landowners around Rokewood who house turbines on their properties stand to gain about $15,000 per year per turbine, sources say.

A State Government spokeswoman said: “As the matter is currently before the courts it would be inappropriate to comment.”

A “rigorous” environmental effects statement (EES) and an assessment by an expert planning panel was produced before the minister approved the project last year.

An EES — which rules on factors including the impact to flora, fauna, vegetation, groundwater, visual amenity and noise — is considered the most transparent assessment framework available.

The State Government is moving to source 40 per cent of the state’s electricity needs from renewables by 2025, and 50 per cent by 2030. Documents lodged with the court by Westwind’s solicitor states the project could contribute about half of the 2025 target.