Winds of change blowing at Nichols Poultry

Burnie Advocate
Thursday 13/3/2008 Page: 11

A Sassafras poultry farm aims to become Australia's leading environmentally sustainable poultry producer with the erection of a new wind turbine. Nichols Poultry managing director Robert Nichols said the turbine will help reduce the farm's carbon footprint and preserve natural resources by harnessing wind to produce its energy requirements.

A Vestas 225kW wind turbine will be erected today and officially commissioned next week. Mr Nichols said it allowed the company to supply excess power back into the grid. "It will be the equivalent of reducing 640 tonne of CO2 into the atmosphere per annum or removing 148 cars off the roads, or supplying 68 households with their energy requirements annually," Mr Nichols said.

Nichols Poultry began operating 20 years ago as a farm cottage industry originally supplying fresh turkeys to Wrest Point Casino. Latrobe Deputy Mayor Rick Rockliff asked the council if it had a policy on wind turbines in case more applications were presented.