Hot and cold: giant wind for high country

Canberra Times
Thursday 11/6/2009 Page: 1

A $700 million windfarm proposed for south of Cooma will turn 150ha of beautifully timbered bushland into an industrial site, a neighbouring farmer says. Fourth-generation sheep and cattle grazier Richard Taylor said he appreciated the project could power 130,000 homes with renewable energy but fears 127 towers, standing 85m high and supporting 50m blades, would forever blight his views.

The rugged and remote country is being assessed for rare lizards, bats, moths, birdlife and flora. Studies have identified stone fencing dating back to the mid- 1880s, associated with Chinese workers, and Aboriginal stone artefacts. The proposed windfarm includes 68km of new roads, two concrete batching plants, rock crushing, a large substation, facilities building and 75km of underground cabling.

Depending on planning approval and financing, construction will start next year, employing 80 people, and should be finished by 2012. Developer Wind Prospect says the windfarm will save about 690,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide. Development director Ed Mounsey said after concerns from some landholders the original site on nine properties was moved north of the Maclaughlin River and expanded to 127 turbines on 17 separate properties.

In nearby Nimmitabel, a village of 280, general store owner Ziggy Yeoman and his customers think the windfarm is a brilliant idea, as does Bombala Mayor Robert Stewart, because roads to the vast site on the edge of the Great Dividing Range will be upgraded. Cooma Mayor Vin Good was unaware the original 73 towers had nearly doubled and would spill across the boundary into his shire. Mr Taylor said the windfarm adjoined his property Bellevue and he would see every tower.

Wind Prospect had addressed his concern about towers interfering with aerial crop dusting from two airstrips on the property by changing sites. He was concerned about what would happen at the end of the windfarm's lease. "There's no option to take the turbines down," he said. "I estimate that would cost about $100 million and there is little incentive to do that. We have no assurances other than they say they will be taken down for scrap."

Mr Mounsey said when the windfarm's 25-year leases with farmers lapsed, the equipment would be renewed or removed. "The precedents set in Europe where there are longer-term projects now reaching the end of their warranty is they have been taken down and the value of the components in terms of steel alone and the copper is more than enough of an economic driver to be doing so."

Infigen Energy's Capital Windfarm north of Bungendore, due for commissioning in August, also has 25-year lease agreements for 67 turbines. Spokesman David Griffin said after that the turbines would likely be refurbished and repowered or taken down. "It depends on the economics, we don't know the answer but expect they will keep going."

Hundreds more wind turbines are coming to Canberra's high wind region and at an annual leasing fee of $10,000-$15,000 a turbine, will be welcomed by cash strapped farmers battling a prolonged drought. Upper Lachlan Shire's first windfarm comprising eight turbines was built in 1996. Another 15 are nearing completion on the Cullerin Range near Gunning and more are planned elsewhere in the shire, where a recent poll found 70% of the population favours them.

Woodlawn WindEnergy proposes 25 turbines near Tarago. Mr Mounsey said legislating the mandatory renewable energy target approved by the Council of Australian Governments of 20% renewable energy by 2020 would give financiers the necessary certainty to hind the windfarm. After environmental assessments were completed, the state significant project would be lodged with Planning NSW for approval.