Roaring 40s' reply

Circular Head Chronicle, Page: 4
Thursday, 10 August 2006

Recent events at Roaring 40s Woolnorth Bluff Point Wind Farm, and the subsequent misinformation circulating in the wider community highlight the need for a balanced perspective when discussing any impact that wind farms may have on the local environment. Last week, an adult wedge-tailed eagle was found injured at the Woolnorth Wind Farm. The bird had a badly damaged wing, and was subsequently euthanased by a local vet. The incident was the fourth wedge-tailed eagle collision to have occurred at the farm since it commenced operating in 2002 (that’s an average of around one per year).

Despite what has been reported in some media outlets, the Woolnorth Wind Farm operates well inside permit conditions imposed as part of the environmental approval for the wind farm. As part of this approval process, a detailed risk assessment was conducted that suggested that the wind farm may contribute to up to 1.8 wedge-tailed eagle collisions per year. This risk was deemed acceptable under the Federal Act as part of the environmental approval of the wind farm.

While any impact on the local wedge-tailed eagle population is something that Roaring 40s is working hard to minimise, it must be recognised, as the regulatory authorities have done, that a very minor number of collisions are inevitable. What needs to be considered is the resultant effect of these collisions, which is extremely small, versus the alternative argument to disallow wind energy projects on environmental risk grounds. Wind energy like the energy produced at the Woolnorth Wind Farm, is clean, renewable energy It is entirely sustainable, and is contributing to Australia ’s overall attempts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (thanks to the electricity produced at Woolnorth, Australia reduces its carbon dioxide emissions by over half a million tonnes every year. That’s the same as taking 130,000 cars off the road).

As has been widely reported, climate change poses more of a risk to the preservation of all species on this planet than any other single factor. The Woolnorth Wind Farm is producing energy to help manage this risk, and this needs to be put in context when debating any minor impact that wind farms may have on the local environment. In addition to this, Roaring 40s undertakes a suite of measures aimed at having a positive effect on the overall wedge-tailed eagle population. These include nest protection, breeding programs, carrion removal, behavioural monitoring and the trialling of bird scarers.

When the sum of these measures is considered in context with the small impact the wind farm has on the overall wedge-tailed eagle population, the balance must be in support of the clean, renewable energy powering Tasmanian homes from the Woolnorth Wind Farm.

Josh Bradshaw Public Relations and Communications Manager Roaring 40s.