Victorian Government Approves Major Wind Farm Amidst Environmental Concerns

An environmental advocacy group says the Victorian government has not properly considered the potential impacts of building a major new wind farm in Western Victoria.

The state government has given the environmental green light for the Warracknabeal Energy Park, the biggest wind farm in the Southern Hemisphere.

The WestWind Energy operated farm will have 219 wind turbines across 26,000 hectares of farmland, just west of Warracknabeal and north of Horsham.

The state government said the project had gone through the Environment Effects Statement (EES) process, "including technical studies, community consultation and a public inquiry" and had been signed off on by Victorian Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny.

Ms Kilkenny said the EES process had shown the project could go ahead while meeting Victoria's environmental standards.

Wimmera Mallee Environmental and Agricultural Protection Association president Ross Johns has been a strong advocate against the wind farm, alongside many farmers and Horsham Rural City Council.

He said there were errors in the planning panel's report.

"There are impacts on human health, on noise, on visual amenity loss and those issues have not been properly and thoroughly considered," Mr Johns said.

"We're not necessarily opposing renewable projects, what we're about is a proper process.

"So neighbours need full consideration and at the moment, neighbours are being significantly impacted."

The energy project would deliver more than 1.5 gigawatts of renewable energy, enough to power up to 1.2 million homes and reduce carbon emissions by more than 4.2 million tonnes annually.

The state government said the facility would also become the highest wind-power producing facility in Victoria and would generate 12.5 per cent of the state's future energy needs.

Mr Johns said a major concern was the amount of government support and subsidies for these projects.

"They'll be requiring $850,000 to $1,000,000 per turbine per year of government support to operate and function," he said.

"There's no point destroying the Australian environment to reduce domestic carbon emissions when we're exporting a million tonnes of coal per day to keep the energy prices cheap in China.

"We need a proper system that is going to be able to look forward to the future of Australia and build a reliable, low-cost energy system to not only provide energy for communities and people, but also provide energy for industry and processing.

WestWind Energy managing director Tobias Geiger said the EES process enabled anyone to have a say.

"We have worked closely with the community over many years to listen, respond and refine the project. That engagement has been critical in shaping a proposal that seeks to balance environmental considerations with regional benefits," he said.

"Warracknabeal Energy Park is well-positioned to contribute meaningfully to Victoria's renewable energy targets and the broader transformation of the state's electricity system.

"Projects of this scale are essential to replacing aging fossil fuel generation, strengthening energy security and ensuring a reliable, affordable supply of clean energy for Victorians."

The company said the project was expected to deliver substantial regional benefits, including investment in infrastructure, significant local municipal rates, and long-term economic contributions to the Wimmera region.

The project was expected to create almost 950 jobs during construction, with ongoing local jobs once operational.

Further approvals will still be required including environmental approval from the federal government.

Communities left disappointed

Federal MP for the Mallee Anne Webster said she was disappointed by the announcement.

"It is massive, it is industrial, it will change the face, shape, the geographical location, the community in which those 200 enormous wind turbines will be placed.

"The impact is profound and the government does not care that it is going against community wishes."

Dr Webster said communities did not feel like they were being listened to by the state government, especially on energy projects like this and compulsory land acquisition for the VNI west project.

"The community mood has shifted dramatically, people feel railroaded," Dr Webster said.

"They feel like being in the regions, we get to be second-class citizens.

"It's a disgrace, I can't tell you how angry people are."

Horsham Rural City Council Mayor Brian Klowss said the council still had reservations about the project and the impact on local infrastructure.

"We've got a lot of concerns that none of the issues have been addressed that we actually have been on about, since the inception of the project, especially around housing, workforce and the roads," he said.

"With the large amount of staff that are going to be employees, we haven't got that worker accommodation in Horsham … But, as the major service centre, we're going to be affected.

"The extra workers coming into the area, that's actually going to take up housing, which then filters back down through to even affordable housing and social housing because it's just not available."