Launceston Examiner
Monday 25/2/2008 Page: 14
North-East Tasmania and the State generally should welcome news that a wind farm that has long been on the drawing board for the region will go ahead this year. The $350 million Musselroe project at Cape Portland was one of three major wind farm proposals put forward for Tasmania. The first, at Woolnorth in the State's far North-West, has been online for some time. Other proposals were put forward several years ago for Musselroe and Heemskirk, on the West Coast.
The Heemskirk proposal was scrapped and the North-East project put on the backburner because of concerns over the Howard Government's refusal to extend its renewable energy incentives. However, the new Government's commitment to a 20 per cent Mandatory Renewable Energy Target by 2020 has given new life to the proposal, which already has most of its approvals in place. Roaring 40s now says construction of the Musselroe Wind Farm should start later this year, with the first turbines to be shipped into the State next year.
Roaring 40s has approval for up to 80 turbines that would generate up to 140MW, which potentially makes it bigger than the Woolnorth project. Clearly last week's draft report on climate change from economist Ross Garnaut helps build the case for more renewable energy. Wind farms are likely to form only a small fraction of Tasmania's energy capacity, but this one will represent a huge economic boost for the North- East. It is expected that this project will take 2.5 years to complete with a peak workforce of 120.
That represents a huge boost for the North-East, which has taken major hits with the loss of Simplot processing and uncertainty over major sawmills. With the wind farm, a likely development of an eco-resort at Musselroe Bay and future infrastructure development that would expand its agricultural capacity, the area can now look forward with a great deal of confidence.
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