RARE wedge-tailed eagles could force the
abandonment of plans to build a $150 million, 70-turbine wind farm west of Melbourne.
Victorian Planning Minister Rob Hulls has refused a permit to
build the farm at Yaloak, near Ballarat, after an independent panel raised
concerns that it posed an unacceptable risk to the local wedge-tailed eagle
population.
The site and design of the farm, by developer Pacific Hydro,
would also have adverse environmental impacts, Mr Hulls said.
The company said today it was considering whether to submit a
new application, but was not yet ready to shelve the project.
The independent panel was told during its hearings that a
naturally occurring updraught used by the eagles to soar during hunting could
put significant numbers of the birds on a collision path with the turbine
blades.
"While the wedge-tailed eagle is not currently listed as
threatened, it is numerically rare and could slip into the threatened category
if levels decline further," Mr Hulls said.
"The risk to the species by this proposed development is
unacceptably high."
The turbines would also have created a visual blight for local
residents by sitting on prominent slopes at the head of the Parwan Valley.
Developer Pacific Hydro said it was considering its options but
was not ready to abandon the project.
Corporate affairs manager Clare Laffan said
the company could resubmit its planning application.
"All we can say at this stage is we're disappointed with
the panel's recommendation, but we haven't had the opportunity to read the
panel's report to move forward," she said.
Mr Hulls said any new application would have to go through a new
independent environmental assessment and demonstrate it was sustainable before
it could go ahead.
The Yaloak project is the second largest under development by
Pacific Hydro after its 120-turbine Portland
windfarm.
The company says it would produce 115.5 megawatts of clean
electricity, or enough for about 45,000 houses.
The $150 million project was due for completion in 2007.
Peter Hall, energy spokesman for the National Party, said the
rejection of the Yaloak wind farm had given hope to people in south Gippsland
who are fighting a 48-turbine development at Dollar, about 170km south-east of
Melbourne.
Mr Hall, who is also the Member for Gippsland Province,
said that using the same criteria as the Yaloak decision, the Dollar wind farm
should not be built.
He said there was significant potential for bird strikes at
Dollar, and the development would have a serious impact on visual amenity for
surrounding landholders.
"We remain hopeful that the community's view will be
listened to in south Gippsland and the turbines won't be built on the proposed
site," Mr Hall said.
"These enormous turbines are nothing less than an
industrial wind factory on agricultural land and they should not be built in
areas where the visual amenity of the region will be severely affected."
Mr Hulls said the Government was still on track to achieve its
target of 1000 megawatts of wind power by 2006
John
Cummings
Ph 02 6230
0182
Fax 02 6230
0181
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0407181 002
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