Queensland strict new rules\u00a0for wind and solar projects, and also for batteries<\/a>, require proponents to sign binding CBAs with councils before lodging planning applications.\u00a0Social impact assessments must also be done beforehand to inform a portion of those agreements.\u00a0<\/p>\n The new rules were cautiously welcomed by some community advocates who said they would give community members more of an opportunity to weigh in on projects being proposed for development near them, before a planning application is lodged.\u00a0<\/p>\n But others cautioned that signing a deal before a project has gone into the planning process, a system designed to temper and test plans against government policies and protocols, will result in cookie-cutter funds that don\u2019t reflect the reality of a project.<\/p>\n Concerns were also raised over the impact of the new rules on wind projects, which have felt the brunt of the change in policy temperature in Queensland, where the focus has switched to propping up coal, investing in new gas power and pushing ahead with select pumped hydro projects.<\/p>\n State planning minister Jarrod Bleijie has used the new rules to retrospectively bin at least one state-approved wind project \u2013 the 450 MW Moonlight Range wind farm that was proposed for construction 40 km west of Rockhampton. <\/p>\n Another two wind farms \u2013 as well as two stand alone battery projects \u2013 remain in limbo on Bleijie\u2019s ministerial call-in list, where the project\u2019s potential social and environmental impacts are being reassessed.<\/p>\n The Goombi wind project proposes to install 107 turbines just west of Chinchilla and 600 MW, four-hour battery \u2013 making it one of the largest in the country if built now, and the biggest associated with any wind complex to date.<\/p>\n In a statement on Thursday, LP Renewable Projects (LPRP) Director, Llion Parry, thanked the Western Downs Regional Council for helping the project to \u201cnavigate through this new and evolving regulatory landscape.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe are proud to be developing the Goombi Wind Farm and are delighted to see the enormous benefits renewable energy projects can have for regional communities,\u201d Parry said.<\/p>\n \u201cDirectly investing $30 million into initiatives that have been identified by the local community demonstrates the hugely positive impacts that renewable energy projects can provide.\u201d<\/p>\n Andrew Riggs, managing partner of Australia for TagEnergy \u2013 the Portugal-based company that owns Australia\u2019s biggest wind farm \u2013\u00a0says renewables projects should create \u201creal and enduring value\u201d for regional communities.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe Goombi Wind Farm will contribute significant new renewable energy capacity to Queensland\u2019s electricity network while supporting long-term investment and opportunities for the Western Downs,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Western Downs Regional Council Mayor, Andrew Smith, said the agreement reflected the region\u2019s \u201cimportant role\u201d in the energy transition and represents a meaningful commitment to communities that host energy infrastructure.<\/p>\n \u201cIt will provide long-term support for local initiatives while helping ensure the region continues to play a leading role in Queensland\u2019s energy future,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n TagEnergy owns the Golden Plains wind farm in Victoria, already the biggest in the country and currently in the process of building a second stage that would take its capacity to 1.33 gigawatts. It will buy the Goombi project once it\u2019s finished.<\/p>\n According to the EPBC referral for Goombi, lodged in January<\/a>, the developer LP Renewables is proposing to cover a 14,175 hectare (ha) patch of land with turbines and the battery, although only 1,240 ha of this will be disturbed.\u00a0<\/p>\n And it\u2019s proposing to start this in the third quarter of 2027, with construction to finish in 2030.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The developers of a major new wind farm proposed for construction in Queensland\u2019s Western Downs region alongside a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":326541,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[64,63,75,952,128,314442],"class_list":["post-650262","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-environment","tag-featured","tag-science","tag-tagenergy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/650262","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=650262"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/650262\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/326541"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=650262"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=650262"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=650262"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}