Anderleigh and Curra residents concerned for Forest Wind powerline
Residents to the north of Gympie have called for public consultation after discovering a $2billion wind farm has marked out plans to build high-voltage power lines through their properties.
Property
Don't miss out on the headlines from Property. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Residents to the north of Gympie have been caught unaware after receiving a letter informing them of a potential high voltage transmission line marked to run through their properties.
The transmission line would connect Forest Wind, a proposed $2 billion wind farm spanning the Tuan, Toolara and Neerdie State Forests, to the electricity grid at Woolooga substation.
Kilkivan residents meet with mayors, Powerlink over Borumba powerlines
Anderleigh resident Jo Scott received a letter via email dated April 2, 2023. She said the letters were then followed up by an individual meeting with representatives from Forest Wind.
“We were caught unaware; we had a short 10-15 minute chat with representatives about the transmission lines,” Ms Scott said.
“Then when we spoke about it together later, we all were saying, ‘oh we should have asked this, and should have asked that’.”
With 226-turbines, Forest Wind is expected to have the capacity to generate up to 1200MW, powering half a million homes a year. It is estimated to create 440 jobs during construction and 50 ongoing jobs.
The project had a groundbreaking start in 2020 with a namesake legislation giving it access to state forestry land – before the fans abruptly fell silent.
In February 2023 it returned to life with the announcement of a joint partnership between Tilt Renewables and CleanSight.
Anderleigh and Curra residents said they were bewildered and confused about the project, and wanted a public meeting with Forest Wind.
“At the meetings in April and May, Forest Wind representatives told landholders they would be contacted within three to four months with compensation offers,” a statement from the residents said.
“Residents are concerned that Forest Wind is not following due process as transmission line options have not been made public and the company seems to have settled on an option without any public consultation.“
“The residents have been provided snippets of transmission line maps that affect their properties only.
“There has also been no community engagement as in difference to Powerlink (sic) and the Borumba Pumped Hydro transmission line project,” it stated.
A Forest Wind spokesperson said the 60m-wide transmission alignment would first be subject to consultation with host landholders, before any options were proposed.
“Following confirmation of a feasible connection alignment we will expand consultation to the broader community and seek their feedback,” the spokesperson said.
The powerline connection to Woolooga from the wind farm still requires both state and federal approvals.
Tilt Renewables and CleanSight have worked on a number of renewable projects throughout Australia.
Coopers Gap Wind Farm near Dalby is Tilt Renewables’ largest project and became fully operational in March 2023. CleanSight has worked on Forest Wind since 2015, along with clean energy projects in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria.
The region looks to become crisscrossed with power lines as renewable energy projects such as Forest Wind and the pumped hydro Borumba Dam move through the approvals process.
Many residents and landholders have stressed the importance of using state-owned land, rather than running the lines across private properties.
400+ units: Qld developer reveals multimillion-dollar Bundaberg project
A developer with projects along the Queensland coast has unveiled plans to expand into the Bundaberg region.
House fire: Passer-by raises alarm as Queenslander bursts into flames
A timber home was extensively damaged by fire on Wednesday but things could have been worse if not for the quick thinking of a person driving past.