November 9, 2018
Australia

Don’t develop wind farm clusters: locals

Everard Himmelreich | The Standard | November 9 2018 | www.standard.net.au

Victorian Labor’s promise to increase renewable energy targets should not lead to the development of wind farm clusters, opponents of some south-west wind farms say.

Janet Collins, who this year led opposition to a 26-turbine wind farm planned for Hawkesdale and another 96-turbine one proposed for nearby Willatook, said she hoped Labor’s promise to increase renewable energy would not lead to more of the wind farm clusters such as the one facing Hawkesdale.

Ms Collins said there needed to be a wide-scale planned approach to the location of wind farms that took into account where other wind farms were in the vicinity.

The 122 potential extra turbines near Hawkesdale and Willatook that were the target of a community opposition campaign this year were part of another 201 wind turbines on the drawing board for Hawkesdale and surrounding areas.

Those 201 would add to the 140 operating at the nearby Macarthur wind farm and opponents said the new ones would overwhelm the area.

Lachlan Cumming of Mortlake also did not want Labor’s promise to increase the renewable energy target to lead to too many wind farms in Mortlake and nearby areas.

Mr Cumming said he believed the 35-turbine Mortlake South wind farm was too close to Mortlake and the 87-turbine Mount Fyans wind farm proposed by the Woolnorth company for north of Mortlake would exacerbate the problem.

He said there was already the 15-turbine Salt Creek wind farm north of Mortlake and the Dundonnell wind farm project would soon add another 80 turbines close to the Salt Creek farm.

“We are in this cumulative mess,” Mr Cumming said.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2018/11/09/dont-develop-wind-farm-clusters-locals/