Queensland is on the verge of a wind energy revolution that could see the nation’s biggest farm of turbines being developed.
Five major projects costing more than $2 billion are being planned that could increase the state’s wind-generated electricity more than 100-fold.
And industry experts predict that sweeping changes to planning rules around wind farms announced last month in Victoria could see more investment heading north.
Queensland currently has just two small wind farms with 12.45 megawatts of capacity - one at Windy Hill in the Atherton Tablelands and the other providing power for Thursday Island.
But Queensland Energy Minister Stephen Robertson told brisbanetimes.com.au if all the planned projects go ahead, the state would have about 1500 megawatts of wind power.
The largest project is the 750 megawatt Kennedy Wind Farm being planned by Windlab near Hughenden, 290 kilometres southwest of Townsville, costing $1.5 billion.
Windlab chief operating officer Luke Osborne said the company hoped to submit a planning application to Flinders Shire Council as early as December.
“It’s a large project and could well be the largest wind project in Australia. We are very happy with the wind resource there,” he said.
“What it lacks for in higher than average wind speeds it makes up for in reliability.”
Mr Osborne said the site, on crown land and covering three pastoral leases, would use as many as 300 turbines to generate clean power from trade winds that transport heat away from the equator.
He said the project would bring in $80 million for the local economy and create 240 jobs during construction and 40 full-time jobs once it was built.
If planning approvals were granted, he hoped building work would start late next year.
The project hopes to connect to the grid through the Copper String project – a 1000-kilometer high voltage electricity line being proposed between Mount Isa and Woodstock, near Townsville.
Energy company AGL has plans for two wind farms – at Crows Nest, 40 kilometers north of Toowoomba, and at Coopers Gap, between Dalby and Kingaroy.
The Crows Nest project was in a “feasibility stage”, but a AGL spokeswoman said the $800 million 350 megawatt Coopers Gap project, with about 115 turbines, had reached community consultation.
The spokeswoman said while a final decision to invest had not yet been made, the Coopers Gap wind farm was “in one of the best wind resource areas in Queensland and represents a significant renewable generation opportunity for the local community and Queensland”.
The project would provide enough electricity to power 150,000 Queensland homes.
Two wind farms are also being planned by company RATCH-Australia, which has submitted development proposals to the Tablelands Regional Council in north Queensland.
RATCH chief executive Steve Loxton said the company wanted to progress the projects “to the point that we can make a final investment decision”.
He said the size of the wind farms at Mount Emerald and High Road had not been finalised, but were currently estimated to be 255 megawatts combined.
Last month, Victorian planning minister Matthew Guy announced a ban on wind farms within five kilometers of 21 regional centres and gave residents the power to veto turbines within two kilometers of homes.
Clean Energy Council policy director Russell Marsh said Victoria’s move could have benefits for other states.
“The stringent planning rules now in place in Victoria mean the wind industry will likely look at other states – in particular New South Wales and Queensland – for opportunities,” he said.
Mr Marsh said other advantages for Queensland were its rising demand for energy and that windy areas were relatively close to the power grid.
A Queensland government project to map wind energy has identified the Atherton Tablelands, Toowoomba and the South Burnett region as areas with strong potential for developers.
Mr Robertson said the state’s Office of Clean Energy was preparing to release a new plan to develop the renewable energy industry.
He said the government was working with other states and the Commonwealth to develop draft national policy guidelines for wind farm developments.
