December 14, 2017
Australia

Cobden locals defending their airport from Naroghid Wind Farm

Simone Smith | The Weekly Times | December 14, 2017 | www.weeklytimesnow.com.au

Cobden residents will stage a protest on Saturday in a last-ditch effort to save the town’s airport.

The protest comes just six days before submissions close to the Victorian planning minister who has to rule on a 12-tower wind farm proposed for the north of the airstrip.

Called the Naroghid Wind Farm, the Altina Energy proposal will cost up to $100 million and generate 43.2-48 megawatts.

Cobden Aero Club and Hanger Owners spokesman Duncan Morris said the towers would rule the airport “affectively unusable … 100 per cent unusable at night”.

“I don’t believe twin engine aircraft will use it … (such as) air ambulance, emergency services, fire bombers etc,” he said.

The airport has about 60 planes land a month.

Mr Morris said the towers would be 180m high with the closest tower 2.5km from the airstrip and “almost directly in front of the strip”.

The airport is an authorised landing area known as an “unclassified aerodrome” and Mr Morris said the wind farm would mean the it could never be registered with the Civil Aviation Safety Authority.

A spokeswoman for Atlina Energy said an impact assessment prepared for the Cobden wind farm had determined it would not impact the aerodrome.


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2017/12/14/cobden-locals-defending-their-airport-from-naroghid-wind-farm/