Green groups fear wind rules are too restrictive

www.abc.net.au
14 Feb 2012

An environment group in central west New South Wales says proposed new rules for the development of wind farms in the state could be too restrictive. The state government held a meeting in Bathurst to brief residents about its draft planning guidelines, which are on public exhibition until March. Bob Hill from the Bathurst Community Climate Action Network was at the forum, and says there needs to be a balance between community concerns and the needs of the industry.

He says if the guidelines discourage wind companies it may affect renewable targets. "The government has goals of bringing 20% of energy from renewables by 2020 and if they're going to do that, I think they've got guidelines that are going to be too restrictive", he said. "There will be some discussion and debate and I hope that the department's open to that but at least they've put them out there, everybody can see them, everybody can comment".

He says it's imperative the guideline offer green companies some stability, rather than stifling investment in wind power. "It would be a real pity in New South Wales if they killed off one of the most important renewable industry's we've got", he said. "In South Australia at the moment for instance, 20% of the energy's generated by wind farms. "That's fantastic and it's the sort of thing that NSW should be aiming to do, but doing it in a way that made sure it respected the communities where those wind farms are placed.