Wind farm proves a windfall

Herald Sun
Saturday 28/10/2006, Page: 23

FOR three generations, Tom Robertson's family have run cattle and sheep on their Macarthur farm. But the pristine piece of farmland in the state's southwest will soon be dotted with more than 180 wind turbines producing enough green energy for 190,000 houses.

The Bracks Government yesterday announced the largest wind farm in the southern hemisphere - a $600 million project that will produce 329 megawatts of electricity. The project, run by electricity company AGL, will create up to 900 jobs in the area.

Approval was given despite some concerns about the risk the project could pose to the local brolga population. But Mr Robertson said he was pleased his land, and that of two adjoining farms, would be home to the multi-milliondollar project.

"The towns will just get so much business out of it," he said. "We are losing activity to other areas, so this lets us have our cake and eat it, in a way. "We can still farm and yet do something else." He said most locals supported the plan to install turbines across the 55sq km property.

Mr Robertson's son, James, said the area was known for high wind and rainfall. "We used to think of the wind as a curse. Now it's a blessing," he said.

Planning Minister Rob Hulls said 1148 of the 1295 submissions made to an independent planning panel had supported the wind farm. "It is a substantial project that will go a long way to address global warming," he said.

Tom Robertson said he had been working on securing the project for more than five years. He said the turbines would ensure his farm's future. The average price a farmer is paid for a turbine is $5000 a year.

"We are not really having a drought here but because there is drought across Australia animal prices are very low," he said. "We can't sell our animals at the normal price. We have had to get rid of animals."

Opposition Leader Ted Baillieu said people were in the dark about wind farms. "We don't have legislation about wind farms," he said. But he said the Liberals supported the Macarthur wind farm if the local community wanted it.