Twin Creek Wind Farm’s turbines to rise taller, edge closer to Barossa Valley under new plan
Farmers are frustrated by rejigged plans for a $300m wind farm, proposing taller and more powerful turbines near the Barossa Valley.
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Altered plans for a $300m wind farm have sparked fresh concerns among locals who say the project will be an ugly mark on the landscape while harming endangered lizards.
Developer RES Australia this year submitted documents seeking approval for a rejigged version of the Twin Creek Wind Farm, proposing fewer wind turbines that will be taller and more powerful while edging closer to the Barossa Valley.
RES was granted planning consent in October 2019 for a previous version of the wind farm, comprising 51 wind turbines up to 180m in height.
Planning documents said the plan has now been “optimised” to “take advantage of the growth in wind turbine technology”, reducing the number of turbines to 42 and increasing their height to 220m.
The wind farm’s overall generating capacity would grow from 185 megawatts to 270MW and the battery energy storage capacity would remain at 215MW.
The Sapphire Wind Farm in NSW creates more than 270MW from 75 turbines, enough to power 115,000 average homes.
Planning documents show six of the turbines would move closer to the Barossa Valley, near St Kitts at the site’s south.
Hansborough and Districts Residents Group secretary Mary Morris said her group was concerned by the site’s creep toward the Barossa.
“Of course (the turbines) will be more visible,” she said.
“If you come to the Barossa, I don’t think too many international or national tourists expect to see turbines on the horizon.”
An RES project summary said the wind farm was “not expected to be detrimental to the landscape” and “there are no visually sensitive or scenic areas in the region”.
Ms Morris said her group was also concerned about the project’s affect on the endangered pygmy blue-tongue lizard.
The project summary said 453 of the lizards were found at the development site in early 2024 and RES would undertake measures to mitigate impacts on the lizards.
A federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act referral regarding the lizards, submitted by RES in relation to its previous plans for the wind farm, was never progressed to a final decision after the government requested more information from RES.
The project summary said a new EPBCA referral would be submitted to the government.
A spokeswoman for RES said the new project plans “not only enhances the overall performance of the wind farm but also reduces the environmental footprint by requiring fewer turbines to achieve the same energy output”.
“The optimised project will contribute positively to the region’s renewable energy goals while maintaining the integrity of the local landscape,” she said.
Farmer Kym Mosey, who is allowing RES to build turbines on his property, said the project would contribute significantly to the local economy.
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