Moyne Gazette
Thursday 6/12/2007 Page: 5
A COMPANY proposing to build a 100-turbine wind farm near Mortlake said it had received positive feedback to the idea at a recent information day in the town. Acciona Energy, a global renewable energy company, said it received a positive response from the Mortlake and surrounding communities at an information day last Thursday. Acciona Energy hopes to install up to 100 wind turbines on two sites - one located 9.5 kilometres east of Mortlake and the other located five kilometres south of Mortlake.
The wind farm would be capable of producing enough green electricity to power about 86,000 households, or a city the size of Geelong. Acciona Energy has been operating in Australia since 2002 and is currently building the Waubra wind farm, near Ballarat. It also has a number of proposals and projects in the development phase, as well as an operating wind farm at Cathedral Rocks in South Australia. The company expressed its thanks to more than 50 people who attended the community information day at the Mortlake Soldiers Memorial Hall and to the 140 people who returned feedback forms throughout November.
Acciona's environment and stakeholder relations manager, Stephanie Rice, said the feedback from local residents had been highly supportive of the project and of renewable energy in general. Those at the community information day came from Mortlake and the neighbouring communities of The Sisters, Kolora, Noorat, Terang and Darlington. Ms Rice said most people were supportive of the project because it would help combat climate change and create jobs and benefits for the regional economy.
She said the feedback forms showed the majority of respondents - 83 per cent - were concerned about climate change and 80 per cent would support a wind farm in their local area. Acciona Energy has also commissioned a social research company to independently gauge the views of the wider community surrounding the project areas.
The results will be presented as part of a community consultation program that will continue next year. Acciona Energy intends to submit a planning application for the wind farm to the State Government by March next year. Acciona Energy operates in more than 30 countries on five continents. It invests in the development and management of sustainable infrastructures, services and renewable energies, including wind, small hydro, biomass, solar and biodiesel.
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