’Alarm bells’ raised over $2b wind farm’s size and scale

Wind farm concerns laid out in Parliamentary Committee report

Cooper's Gap Wind Farm is the largest wind farm by capacity in Australia with enough energy to power 264,000 Australian homes. Photo: Emily Bradfield

A $2 BILLION green energy project proposed for forestry land near Maryborough "should ring alarm bells".

This is the view of Boonooroo resident and community representative, Christine Olsen.

Mrs Olsen expressed her concerns about the Forest Wind Farm when a committee report on the project was tabled in parliament.

She said said in the report, "the sheer size and scale of Forest Wind's proposal should ring alarm bells."

Mrs Olsen noted that the wind farm would have twice as many turbines as the largest wind farm in Queensland, Coopers Gap and each tower could be as high as 245 meters.

She also presented concerns about the possible damage the proposed wind farms could do to the wildlife of the Great Sandy Strait.

"The site occupies the heart of the Australian nominated UNESCO Great Sandy Biosphere," she said in the report.

"It contains many bird and bat species of ecological significance: two threatened bat species and 23 threatened bird species."

The report presented a summary of the State Development, Tourism, Innovation and Manufacturing Committee's examination of the Forest Wind Farm Development Bill 2020.

It is a special purpose Bill which provides a pathway for a large-scale Forest Wind renewable energy project in the Tuan, Toolara and Neerdie State Forests.

The report also stated the COVID-19 crisis meant the Committee was not able to travel to the proposed development site to see the first hand accounts which was another criticism raised by Mrs Olsen.

The Committee acknowledged the concerns of local residents but recommended the State Government pass the Bill.

"It is now incumbent on relevant parties to work with local communities, in a meaningful and sensitive way, to take this project forward," the report concluded.

The Queensland Department of State Development, Tourism and Innovation has been contacted for coment regarding residents concerns.

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