Turbines approved

Goulburn Town & Country
Monday 19/2/2007 Page: 14

CONSTRUCTION will start on a wind farm at Taralga early next year after the Land and Environment Court ruled that the $185 million project could proceed. Judge Preston last week upheld Minister for Planning Frank Sartor's January 2006 decision to approve what was then going to be a 54-turbine farm.

Locals concerned about impacts on noise, visual amenity and impact on flora and fauna appealed against the decision last year.

But in upholding Minister Sartor's decision, Judge Preston upped the number of turbines to 62, not 69 as otherwise stated. He ruled in favour of the development, claiming that the broader public good of increasing the supply of renewable energy would prevail over the "geographically narrower concerns of the Taralga Landscape Guardians".

"It is a widely recognised fact that the state of the global environment is in rapid decline, requiring an urgent response if the current quality of life enjoyed by Australians is to continue," he said.

Taralga Landscape Guardians spokesperson Martha Grahame said the group would continue to oppose the development by monitoring the noise of wind turbines to ensure they complied with 35dba requirements. It's understood the Guardians spent $130,000 in legal fees fighting Mr Sartor's decision.

"We are very disappointed, particularly after reading Sartor's comments in yesterday's Herald where he said: (in upping the number of turbines from 54 to 62) "that may be a lesson to people that appeal against wind farms'," Ms Grahame said.

"Him saying that is unbelievable for us because all we were doing was exercising our democratic right to appeal a decision in the Land and Environment Court:' RES Southern Cross commercial director Colin Liebmann said the company would now quickly move to secure the supply of the turbines but expected long delivery times (up to 18-months) because countries like China and the USA were soaking up all of the turbines being built.