Qld: Wind farm set for South Burnett

AAP General News (Australia)
08-14-2008
Qld: Wind farm set for South Burnett

By Petrina Berry

BRISBANE, Aug 14 AAP - Queensland's South Burnett region is set to be home to the biggest
wind farm in the southern hemisphere after receiving "overwhelming" community support.

The $1.2 billion project, called the Coopers Gap Wind Farm, is predicted to generate
enough power for 320,000 homes.

It's being proposed for 12,000 ha of cattle grazing country located almost midway between
Kingaroy and Dalby in south-east Queensland.

International specialist banking group Investec Bank and Windlab Systems, established
by the CSIRO, will lodge a development application to build 252 wind turbine generators
after successful feasibility studies and community consultations on the weekend.

An application is expected to be lodged by the end of the month.

It involves two councils; the South Burnett Regional Council and Dalby Council with
up to three quarters of it falling in the South Burnett area.

Mayors of both councils said residents were largely backing the project.

South Burnett Regional Council Mayor David Carter said he had not heard one objection.

"It's a sparsely populated area so it does not affect many people," Mr Carter said.

"The properties are cattle properties so the wind farm won't change the use of the
land and the landowners will get some money."

Dalby Mayor Ray Brown said landholders would get tax deductible compensation to the
tune of $10,000 per turbine annually.

Richard Castellari from Investec's project development team said the company planned
to build 12 wind farms across Australia and New Zealand, with Coopers Gap Wind Farm being
one of three closest to fruition.

"We had overwhelming support for the project from the community and the local council,
with really no objections," Mr Castellari said.

"The wind farm will cover between six and 10 properties.

"The area has really good internal wind speed, is near a transmission network, a network
that distributes power, and from the fauna and flora perspective it's quite benign - there's
no flora or fauna of great significance - it's cattle grazing land."

AAP peb/stg/ht/de

KEYWORD: WINDFARM NIGHTLEAD

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