Thursday 29 March 2007

Wind plan welcomed

Warrnambool Standard
Thursday 29/3/2007 Page: 12

PLANS for a 13 to 15-turbine wind farm near Purnim are expected to be lodged with Moyne Shire Council next month. At an information session held at the Purnim hall yesterday Wind Farm Developments revealed its plans for the proposed Drysdale Wind Farm.

The wind farm would be located on two separate properties, located between Purniin, Ballangeich and Cooramook. Each turbine would be up to 135 metres tall and the blades 50 metres long. The turbines would be placed about 400 to 600 metres apart. It was revealed the wind farm would produce electricity for as many as 17,000 households.

Managing director Alistair Wilson said a planning application for the wind farm would be lodged with the shire next month.

If the development was approved Mr Wilson said construction would take about six to nine months. He said energy generated by the turbines would be fed into the local transmission line and would supply electricity to local homes. Once the wind farm was built Mr Wilson said it would create two or three permanent jobs.

Between 40 and 50 people attended yesterday's information session. Mr Wilson said community members had been enthusiastic about the project. "The most common comment has been `Can I have some on my place?' he said. Framlingham resident John Drake, who also has a property at Ballangeich-Cooramook, said he wasn't worried about the project.

"I've got no real hassles with it," Mr Drake said. "I don't think there's any great objection. It's not as if there are hundreds of them." Nick Uleeson, of Ballangeich, said he had no objections to the wind farm. "I'm fairly open-minded. I don't see any disadvantages," he said.

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