May 31, 2011
Australia

Wind farm opposition grows

www.energybusinessnews.com.au 31 May 2011

Community opposition to wind farms continues to grow around Australia, with a brace of actions in several states. In Victoria. the Moyne Shire council has taken its opposition to Wind Farm Developments’ proposed 12 turbine farm at The Sisters near Terang, testing the new state government’s tougher position on noise emissions.
The council will next week ask the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal to reject the proposal on the grounds that it contravenes the new noise guidelines implemented by the Baillieu government in March.
The project has been in and out of several courts already, with the Supreme Court ultimately ruling in favour of Wind Farm Developments.
Meanwhile, Federal MP Alby Shultz is calling for a halt to new wind farm developments in NSW, saying they are inefficient, unreliable and expensive.
His calls came as wind farm developer Epuron reassured the public that its proposed $350 million project at Glen Innes in NSW would have a minimal impact on neighbouring farms.
Epuron wants to build 119 turbines, a substation and other infrastructure on land west of Glen Innes.
In Queensland, locals met to discuss concerns over a proposed AGL Coopers Gap wind farm planned between Dalby and Kingaroy.
The meeting heard from South Australian landholder Andy Thomas, who blames 12 turbines at AGL’s Hallett Number 2 wind farm near his home in SA for causing his family sleep deprivation.
“The noise the turbines makes depends on the wind,” Thomas said. “On calm days, they don’t move, but on other days there’s the whooshing noise of the blades and winding noise of the gear box inside them. On a bad day it sounds like a jet.”

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/05/31/wind-farm-opposition-grows/