A major wind-turbine project — planned near Ramsar-listed wetlands — has passed a “significant” planning milestone, despite concerns about its environmental impact.
Developer HMC Capital has put forward plans for 105 wind turbines, some up to 270 metres tall, between Nelson and Portland in south-west Victoria.
The turbines would be built inside active pine plantations.
The 600-megawatt Kentbruck Green Energy Hub would provide power to the nearby Port of Portland and Portland Aluminium Smelter, as well as local homes.
The proposed footprint of the Kentbruck Green Energy Hub. (Supplied: Neoen Australia)
The project is also located close to protected environment areas, such as Ramsar-listed wetlands and the Discovery Bay Coastal Park, prompting environmental concerns.
Victorian Acting Planning Minister Gabrielle Williams said the environmental effects statement being approved was a “significant step” towards the project moving towards construction.
She said final approvals were still required.
“This wind farm will deliver cheaper, cleaner power for hundreds of thousands of homes across Victoria,” Ms Williams said.
“We’re getting on with helping deliver cleaner and cheaper energy projects, while also ensuring that environmental standards remain strong and safeguards are put in place.”
‘Significant and unacceptable’
The minister’s assessment said while the project “is likely to have some significant impacts”, it could proceed with some modifications and “specific mitigations”.
It also noted the predicted impacts on the Lake Mombeong and parts of the Discovery Bay Coastal Park and Great South West Walk, if the project was to proceed without modification, were “very significant and unacceptable”.
The report recommended alterations to “demonstrate acceptable environmental outcomes can be achieved”.
The southern bent-wing bat is known to fly in the area of the Kentbruck project. (Steve Bourne, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY SA 4.0)
This included removing up to five turbines to protect endangered bird and bat species.
“Decision-makers need to consider this assessment before deciding whether and how the project should proceed,” the minister’s assessment said.
In an ASX statement, HMC Capital said the project would help meet electricity demand from “consumer, industrial and emerging AI users”.
A section of pine plantation slated to be the site of the future Kentbruck Green Energy Hub. (Supplied: Neoen Australia )
“HMC is pleased with the announcement and looks forward to working with the relevant Victorian government authorities and stakeholders on the recommendations in the Planning Minister’s assessment,” Energy Transition Platform chief executive Gerard Dover said.
The project is expected to create 350 jobs during its construction and 14 ongoing roles once operational.
Community opposition
Nelson local Fran Thompson, who opposed the project, said the requirements showed the project had a lot of environmental questions to answer.
“It states the environmental effects statement really was below standard and below par,” she said.
Fran Thompson says the minister’s review of the EES raises more questions. (ABC News: Jean Bell)
“That’s why the proponent now has to go back to the drawing board and has to start work again on some very complex environmental research.”
The Nature Glenelg Trust is a conservation group that has worked on land rehabilitation projects around Kentbruck’s footprint for more than a decade.
Managing director and founder Mark Bachmann said the environmental risks added up to a “bigger picture”.
Mark Bachmann says his organisation has worked for more than a decade to rehabilitate the area around the proposed wind farm. (ABC News: Jean Bell)
“Our question is, if you step back and look at all that, you ask yourselves, is this really worth it?
“There’s going to be lots of ongoing issues with management of this project in that location because it’s such a sensitive site.
“Is it really a smart place to do a project like this?”