Winds Of Change

Glen Innes Examiner, Page: 1
Thursday, 2 March 2006

WIND farms proposed for the Ben Lomond and Furracabad/Waterloo areas are likely to proceed to the next stage, despite a decision by one of the developers to focus more on China, where renewable energy is more economically viable. Although reports in recent months have predicted the loss of renewable energy developments in Australia it appears the two proposed windfarms, being developed by separate parties, will still get the go ahead. The assurances seem to be supported by the Australian Bureau of Agriculture and Resource Economics (ABARE), which at its annual Outlook conference in Canberra this week supported the development of renewable energy. "The transfer of advanced energy efficient and low emissions technologies is also expected to play a key role in allowing countries to achieve their economic, energy security and environmental goals concurrently," Dr Brian Fisher, Executive Director of ABARE told the Outlook 2006 conference on Tuesday.

Anemometer towers that measure the amount of wind available for wind electricity production have been set up in both areas and have returned positive preliminary results. One landowner in the Furracabad area who did not wish to be identified said he was happy that results showed that the winds in the Waterloo Rangearea were some of the best winds in the state. The area has been noted as a wind-power 'hotspot' on the Great Dividing Range by developer, investment house Babcock and Brown. "It's all go," said Babcock and Brown's Adrian Pizza.

"It's a great wind site. "Mr Pizza told the Examiner yesterday that the Furracabad wind-farm would definitely go ahead assuming there were no problems with the environmental impact assessment currently being undertaken. At this stage Babcock and Brown are looking at constructing 20 wind turbines in the Furracabad area though this number has not yet been finalised. Ben Lomond landowner and potential wind-farmer Dorothy Every pointed out the flow on benefits to the community with tourism being generated by visitors to the wind-farms and a boost in general commerce during the construction phase.

"We think it would be of economic benefit to the local district in both that it will be a financial benefit to the landowner and there will be a flow-on effect to the greater community through tourism as a result of public curiosity," Mrs Every said. "Even in the construction phase the local communities will benefit and later a person will have to be employed for maintenance," she said. Although the future of the current developments in the region does look stable at this stage there are still major concerns over further renewable energy initiatives as major green energy companies move their operations offshore. Richard Finley-Jones of company evergreen which is involved in the development of the Ben Lomond wind-farm told the Examiner that the inability of the Federal Government to offer competitive prices for renewable energies was the major reason projects such as wind-farms are being sent overseas.

He noted that the Howard Government has asked for only 2 per cent of all energy production to come from renewable energies, a quota that is already oversubscribed. "The price is normally $30 to $40 per kilowatt hour and now it is down to $26 because the market has been oversubscribed, other markets such as in China are up to $100 per kilowatt hour," Mr Finley-Jones said. "The policy directions of the government are driven by the fossil fuel industries," he said. Although being pessimistic of the current political acceptance of renewable energies Mr Finley-Jones was optimistic for the future of the Ben Lomond development as it is located in a prefect location of wind-farming.