Wind farms facing bird-safety curbs

Wind farm development in Australia may be checked by a proposed new requirement to assess the cumulative impact on bird species of multiple projects in the same region.

A wedge-tailed eagle flies over Musselroe Wind Farm in northeast Tasmania. Picture: Eric J. Woehler

Wind farm development in Australia may be checked by a proposed requirement to assess the cumulative impact on bird species of multiple projects in the same ­region.

Bird and energy experts told The Weekend Australian major wind farm developments were still being considered in “silos” without consideration of the cumulative impact of multiple wind farms in proximity.

The concerns were backed by federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek, who flagged to The Weekend Australian that the issue was one she would tackle in a looming shake-up of federal environment laws.

“We need to overhaul our environmental laws, including the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act - these laws were written in the 1990s and aren’t fit for purpose for today,” she said. “Cumulative impacts … aren’t currently captured under the laws.

 “The Samuel review (of the EPBC Act) addresses cumulative impacts, as part of the recommendation around regional planning, and we’ll be responding to the review by the end of the year.”

The potential federal intervention comes as the nation experiences a “wind rush” by renew­ables companies, spurred by emissions targets and soaring energy prices.

Immediate concern focuses on the potential cumulative impact of multiple wind farms developed or proposed for Tasmania’s far northeast, a vital “staging point” for a host of migratory birds.

A $2.7bn, 210-turbine wind farm proposed by Philippines company ACEN for the region would be bigger than any now ­operating in Australia. It would join the nearby 56-­turbine Musselroe Wind Farm and an offshore wind farm of up to 70 turbines proposed by ­Nexsphere.

Bird experts are concerned about the scale of the ACEN proposal, which would at times produce as much power as used by the whole of Tasmania. The project is likely contingent on the planned Marinus Link cable, allowing more energy exports from Tasmania to the mainland.

ACEN chief operating officer David Pollington said it was “very early days” for the North East Wind project, recently declared a “major project” by the Tasmanian government. “We will, of course … prepare an environmental impact statement for assessment,” he said. “This will include examining the potential cumulative effect.”

BirdLife Tasmania convenor Eric Woehler said as well as impacts on local wedge tailed eagles and brown falcons, the cumulative impact of the multiple northeast wind farms could be devastating for migratory woodland birds.

A brown falcon. Picture: Eric Woehler

“That whole northeast corner of Tasmania is a staging area for a vast number of woodland birds migrating to the Australian mainland during the winter months, so you may see a broader spectrum of birds identified as potential collision risks,” he said.

“We’re talking everything from parakeets, honeyeaters, cuckoos, silvereyes up to swamp harriers.”

Dr Woehler said each wind farm’s impact on birds was assessed in a “silo” with no consideration for the cumulative impact of multiple projects in a region.

He pointed to wind farms at Altamont, California. “They’ve killed tens of thousands of birds because of putting the turbines in the ­middle of a migration corridor for raptors,” he said.

Evan Franklin, associate professor in energy and power systems at the University of Tasmania, agreed federal assessment of wind projects should be reformed to better consider cumulative impacts.

“The amount of wind and solar now is just the tip of the iceberg compared to what we’re going to have. So we will need ... to learn how to do it well, with all community and environmental impacts (properly assessed),” he said.