Bald Hills to go ahead

Great Southern Star
Tuesday 26/12/2006 Page: 3

THE $220 million Bald Hills wind farm will go ahead. Senator Ian Campbell, the federal Minister for the Environment and Heritage, approved the wind farm on Thursday (December 21), with strict conditions.

Victorian Nationals leader and member for Gippsland South Peter Ryan said the news came as a "bitter disappointment" to Tarwin Lower residents who had fought the case on behalf of all Gippslanders.

"Renewable energy is a necessary initiative, but it has to happen in the right place to enjoy the community's support that should drive it," Mr Ryan said.

The project is a graphic demonstration of how not to see the future development of the renewable energy industry in Victoria and it is the State Government that must ultimately bear the blame." One of the nearby residents opposed the wind farm, Don Jelbart said: "There would have been a lot of pressure on Senator Campbell to make this decision, with global warming being such a big issue. "We've tried to educate the public about how useless the windfarms are.

Their visibility creates the illusion the government is doing something to address the problem. As far as the decision goes, we will continue to fight" Senator Campbell blocked the proposal last April, using the survival of endangered orange-bellied parrot as his main reason.

However, he allowed the proponent Wind Power Pty Ltd to submit a revised proposal last September and as a result the Senator has approved the 52-turbine energy farm months later.

"The Bald Hills wind farm has been given federal approval subject to key changes to the turbine layout and strict conditions to protect the orange-bellied parrot and other threatened species," Senator Campbell said.

Senator Campbell said given changes to the reconfiguration of the turbines and strict conditions to ensure protection of threatened and migratory species, the proposal had been approved under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

Wind Power must contribute $30,000 annually to conservation related actions for all threatened bird species along the South? The conditions ensure that the "wind turbines or related infrastructure shall not be constructed within 300 metres of the boundary of the Bald Hills Wetland Reserve or within 800 metres of the edge of largest area of open water habitat within the Bald Hills Wetland Reserve".

Wind turbines shall not be constructed within two kilometres of the coastline. The proponent must submit for the Minister's approval to undertake monitoring any bird strike. The proponent must notify the Minister in writing of any mortality of a member of a listed threatened or migratory species on the site within 48 hours of becoming aware of the mortality.

In the event of a second or subsequent mortality of an orange-bellied parrot, swift parrots and white-bellied sea eagles on site, all operations within one kilometre of the mortality site must cease immediately.