Election 2022: Marginal MP Gavin Pearce urges rethink on wind farm

Marginal-seat Liberal Gavin Pearce has backed concerns about a wind farm in his Tas­manian electorate.

The Nut and Stanley Peninsula, northwest Tasmania, where plans for a 12-turbine wind farm for the tip of the peninsula have become an election issue. Picture: David Murphy

Marginal-seat Liberal Gavin Pearce has backed concerns about a wind farm in his Tas­manian electorate, despite the project linking itself to the ­Coalition-backed “Battery of the Nation” energy policy.

Mr Pearce, whom polls suggest will struggle to hold his northwest seat of Braddon, told The Australian there was significant opposition to the 12-turbine, 50 megawatt proposal near the seaside town of Stanley.

He has informed federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley of the extent of concern and ­believes wind farms are better sited in the region’s remote areas, such as the existing farm at Woolnorth and the proposed Robbins Island turbines.

“The electorate … understands that energy has to come from somewhere but there’s a real balance,” Mr Pearce said.

“I have represented to the federal minister that I see a disproportionate objection to Stanley, as opposed to Robbin Island.

“There is a balance between the need for that renewable energy source and where it’s positioned,” he said. “They can live with it at Woolnorth, but once it starts moving up the coast and into townships like Stanley, then … people are starting to say ‘enough is enough’.”

There has been a rush of new wind farms in Tasmania because of the proposed $3.5bn Marinus Link, a second undersea cable to Victoria that will allow the island to double its already 100 per cent renewable power to export energy to the mainland.

This Battery of the Nation concept is strongly backed by the Morrison government, which this month announced a further $75m to take Marinus through design and approvals to a final investment decision in 2024.

Mr Pearce stressed he was supportive of the concept. “It is a big nation-building project and we need to do the work to build up the business case,” he said.

The Stanley farm is described by developers Epuron as having potentially “the highest energy yield per turbine in Australia”.

“The wind farm would contribute 50.4MW to the Tasmanian grid and support the state government’s target of 200 per cent renewable energy generation by 2040,” said Epuron Tasmania head Donna Bolton.

The turbines, planned for the tip of the Stanley Peninsula, would be at least 4km from the town and “will not be visible from most areas in Stanley due to the escarpment”, she said.

Many locals are unconvinced, believing it will spoil views, lead to noise problems and harm the local birdlife.

Labor’s candidate for Braddon, Chris Lynch, did not respond to requests for comment.