One of the biggest victims of the Queensland Liberal National Party’s bizarre about-face on renewables, the retrospectively cancelled Moonlight Range wind farm, has rejoined the queue for a federal green tick, in a bid to find a path forward for the $1 billion project.
The up to 450 megawatt (MW) wind project, and big battery, located 40km west of Rockhampton, was awarded stage government approval by the then newly elected Crisafulli government in December of 2024, only to have this approval overturned by deputy premier and planning minister Jarrod Bleijie in May.
Bleijie said a review of the project application found it did not meet the requirements of a new development code (State Code 23) that came into effect in February of this year, or of new solar and wind farm rules unveiled at the end of April.
In particular, Bleijie seized upon what he described as “significant feedback” from local residents and stakeholders, as well as the impacts on local infrastructure and the environment, with more than 550 submissions received during the consultation process.
But closer scrutiny of the submissions revealed that only a small proportion – around 25 per cent – of the submissions came from people or groups local to the proposed project. Industry observers noted that “organised, politically motivated, anti-renewable lobbying” had been active in the area.
The project’s owner, Greenleaf Renewables, said at the time that it “respectfully disagreed” with Bleijie’s decision and stressed that it had “conducted thoughtful and transparent” community and stakeholder engagement.
Nearly six months later, Greenleaf has confirmed it is pushing ahead to the public exhibition stage of the “completely separate” Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) approvals process, to find “the best way forward for the project.”
“Having undertaken extensive engagement, development and technical assessments over the last three and a half years, we are committed to continuing our broader strategic evaluation of the Moonlight Range wind farm,” Greenleaf says in a statement shared with Renew Economy.
“As we work through this assessment, we remain committed to fostering strong relationships with community stakeholders and the Rockhampton Regional Council as we explore potential next steps for this project.”
In a November update published via the project’s website, Greenleaf says it sees the EPBC process as a valuable opportunity for community and project stakeholders to review and comment on the Moonlight Range’s environmental aspects.
“Through this EPBC process, we aim to give the community confidence that every assessment will be robust, transparent and compliant with all current requirements, and that their views will be heard and meaningfully considered,” says Moonlight Range Wind Farm senior development manager Django Tricker.
Tricker says that alongside continued community engagement, the next steps for the proposed 88-turbine project are likely to include the initiation of a Social Impact Assessment (SIA) in 2026.
The requirement of developers to undertake an SIA and negotiate and enter into a binding Community Benefit Agreement (CBA) with the relevant local council before lodging a Development Application was one of the key rule changes introduced by the LNP in April.
For now, however, the focus of Greenleaf and the Moonlight Range team will be on the EPBC process and responding to the feedback on the project gathered during the public exhibition period from November 11 to December 08.
“We value community input and are committed to ensuring all submissions are meaningfully considered,” says Greenleaf director Chris Righetti.
“This process ensures transparency and accountability in how we assess and manage potential environmental impacts.”
Renew Economy has sought comment from the Queensland planning minister, Jarrod Bleijie, and will update the story should it get a response.
Moonlight Range planning and application documents can be found here as well as in hard copy at the Rockhampton Regional Library and the State Library of Queensland.
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