Forest Wind’s $2bn renewable wind farm at Tuan has stalled

Plans to have the first stage of a touted 226-turbine, 1200MW wind farm north of Gympie running by 2023 have been scuttled.

Plans to build a $2bn wind farm at Tuan have stalled, with the company behind the renewable energy hub saying construction of the farm, originally to start in 2021, will not happen any time soon.

Plans to build a $2bn wind farm at Tuan have stalled, with the company behind the renewable energy hub saying construction of the farm, originally to start in 2021, will not happen any time soon.

News of the delay was revealed by Forest Wind, the company behind the proposal, on its website this month.

Forest Wind said in the update it acknowledged a project of the scale of its wind farm “can take a number years to develop prior to achieving construction”.

‘We’ve lost a legend’: Tributes flow for sports club ‘hero’

More public consultation was on the menu too.

Forest Wind said it looked forward to further engagement with groups including traditional owners, residents and community groups “once the project matures”.

Toddler on-board as six people injured in serious head-on crash

A proposed $2bn wind farm at the Tuan Forest, which was originally hoped to be operational by 2023, now has no official construction date, its developer Forest Wind has revealed in its first update about the project in more than a year.

This would include consultation on issues including transmission line corridors and turbine locations.

“Construction commencement is not imminent,’ the statement said.

“A proposed date will be offered once the project is further progressed.”

A lack of consultation was among criticisms levelled at Forest Wind and the state government when the project was first unveiled in early 2020.

These claims were rejected by each group at the time.

The latest website announcement was the first update to be given by Forest Wind about the future of its proposed 226-turbine, 1200MW project in 17 months.

Forest Wind’s first announcement in 17 months about the project said residents, community groups and traditional owners would be further consulted on matters including the location of the transmission line corridor. The project was criticised following its unveiling in 2020 from sections of the community who claimed they had been “left in the dark” by poor consultation.

The wind farm plans were unveiled in early 2020, with state government development approval secured the same year.

Construction was earmarked to start in 2021, with stage one to be operational by 2023.

The hub was touted by the state government after its announcement as helping Queensland reach the its target of having renewables power 50 per cent of the state’s electricity consumption by 2030.

This target rises to 70 per cent by 2032, and 80 per cent by 2035.

The Department of State Development and Forest Wind have been approached for further comment.