September 15, 2021
Australia

Epuron plans wedge-tailed eagle studies for wind farm project

Sean Ford | The Advocate | September 15 2021 | www.theadvocate.com.au

A renewable energy developer will study wedge-tailed eagle movements for up to two years as it works towards a potential wind farm south of Burnie.

Epuron said it was using GPS devices to track a number of eagles in the project area at Guildford as part of a wider UTAS research project into how the endangered species used the landscape.

“Independent ecology specialists will also conduct on-ground surveys of eagle flights,” Sydney-based Epuron said in a project update.

“Findings from these studies and the various other assessments will inform the final wind turbine layout and project design.”

The site is used for plantation forestry, which Epuron says is complementary to wind farming.

The company said the site had strong winds and included a power line with available capacity.

It is about 15 kilometres south of Hampshire and about 7 kilometres north-east of Waratah.

Epuron is planning another potential wind farm, called Hellyer, north of the Guildford site.

Federal authorities deemed the Guildford project a controlled action under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, meaning it would need assessment under federal law.

The state Environment Protection Authority will do the assessment, and there would be a period for public submissions.

As well as approval under federal law, the project would need Waratah-Wynyard Council approval.

If it approved the project, the council would be required to impose any conditions recommended by the EPA.

A tall meteorological mast to measure the Guildford wind resource was installed in June, replacing smaller, portable devices,

“The 122 metre high mast includes various instruments to measure wind speed and direction and will provide more detailed and important wind data to inform the final wind turbine layout and project design,” Epuron said.

The Guildford project would involve up to 80 turbines and Hellyer up to 40.

The company is also aiming to develop a smaller wind farm at the tip of the Stanley peninsula.

That project has met community opposition, with some claiming it could affect visitation to the popular tourist town and some complaining about potential effects on views.

There has also been community opposition to a potential 47-turbine Epuron wind farm at St Patricks Plains, in the Central Highlands.

Guildford had no population, according to the 2016 census.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2021/09/15/epuron-plans-wedge-tailed-eagle-studies-for-wind-farm-project/