Cooktown Local News
Wednesday 21/3/2007 Page: 8
THE proposed Archer Point wind farm could be generating energy by the end of next year if proponents of the $250 million project can convince the State Government to develop renewable energy policies. And the Local News has learned of another wind farm being tipped for freehold land at Walker Bay, just a few kilometres south of Cooktown near the golf course.
After more than 17 years in the pipeline and three years of high-level government and indigenous stakeholder negotiations, the remaining obstacle for the Archer wind farm - which would be Queensland's second after Ravenshoe's and able to power Cairns - was the lack of a green energy market, said proponent Wind Power Pty Ltd Queensland.
"One of the biggest issues for us is the market for renewable energy in Queensland," said WPQ managing director Lloyd Stumer. "All the other states have a renewable energy policy (but) we've been talking to the all the relevant government departments and new Energy Minister Geoff Wilson and we're very hopeful of a positive outcome. Our intention is still to get the turbines up and going by the end of next year (but) that is a tight schedule." In August, during an indigenous land use agreement announcement at Archer for 8800ha of Annan River (Yuku Baja-Muliku) National Park and 1700ha of indigenous freehold, the State reserved a 2300ha seaward tract for two years of feasibility investigations.
Our intention is still to get the turbines no and going by the end of next year but that is a tight schedule' - Wind Power Pty Ltd Old managing director Lloyd Stumer into the wind farm. The Cook Shire Council also negotiated for two coastal parcels for recreation reserve and a former 1970s deep water port site, which would be needed to receive materials during wind farm construction. The proposed Archer farm would include 60 turbines - triple the number at Ravenshoe and each more than three times as powerful - with a capacity for 120 megawatts of energy, enough to power 60,000 homes.
Meanwhile, another Queensland company, Earth EnergyAustralia, has reported "encouraging results" from data obtained in the first stages of several years of wind monitoring on private property at Walker Bay. Earth Energy managing director Michael Sherington said he was unsure of the viability of two wind farms less than 30kms apart.
"Lloyd (Stumer) and I have discussed working them both together and we're still talking that out," he said. "My initial concept was for 10MW to 30MW, big enough to power Cooktown and some of the Cape." Mr Sherington said he only turned to Walker Bay after being warned about land tenure difficulties at Archer. "Earth Energy lodged the first official wind site application at Archer Point in 2001 and we were told to go elsewhere," he said.
A native title claim over 120sqkm at Archer was lodged with the National Native Title Tribunal in September, but it has not yet been decided if the claim meets registration standards. Mr Sherington said any wind farm in the Cooktown district would be a positive thing. "Cooktown's a bloody windy place and it would be great to harness that," he said.
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