Portland wind farm

A series of wind farms are being constructed around the Portland area by Pacific Hydro. Each site currently qualifies as degraded, cleared land, and the wind farms possess the ability to initiate revegetation and enhance biodiversity values at each site. This is being done in four stages, with three of the four stages now completed and functional.

The four stages are as follows:
•    Stage 1 at Yambuk;
•    Stage 2 at Cape Bridgewater;
•    Stage 3 at Cape Nelson South and;
•    Stage 4 at Cape Nelson North and Cape Sir William Grant.

Consisting of 98 wind turbines, this promises to be one of the largest and most ambitious wind energy projects in the southern hemisphere. When completed, the 195 MW project  is expected to produce about 500 GWh of electricity for use annually, with completion of the entire project  expected in 2010. It will provide enough electricity to power about 125,000 homes each year,   equivalent to more than 7 per cent of Victoria’s residential electricity demand, which is similar to powering a city the size of Geelong. Simultaneously, the Portland Wind Energy Project will potentially the greenhouse gas emissions intensity of electricity generation in Victoria and Australia (currently one of the highest in the world) equivalent to 1% of Australia’s national greenhouse gas reduction target.

While an expense of $330 million is necessary, the project is expected to recoup these costs and reap numerous economic benefits. It will;
•    inject an estimated $95 million in to the Portland regional economy and $287 million to Australia overall from construction and operations,
•    increase tourism to the Portland region and assist in its development as a leading renewable energy region,  with $2.7 million additional expenditure and the creation of at least 70 to 80 new jobs,
•    create the opportunity for development of a wind manufacturing export industry initially expected to be worth $110 million per year,
•    additional economic activity generated by the investment in the Portland region and by $900 million worth of imports of wind generator components with the newly established component export industry could lead to up to 750 new jobs in Portland and a further 1,350 new jobs in regional Victoria.

The current scale and siting of the development has been crucial in achieving the economic benefits outlined above. According to the proponents, the termination of any one of the projects would jeopardise the overall feasibility of the project and hence the establishment of a wind energy manufacturing industry in Victoria.

Generally, it appears that any potentially negative impacts are minimal and can be effectively  managed. Whereas a number of aspects of the project have elicited negative perceptions on the part of some stakeholders, positive results have been proven achievable in these areas. Tourism is one particular area in which concern has been expressed that wind farm development will result in a decline in tourism to the region. Analysis has, in fact, shown that net tourist numbers and expenditure is likely to increase over a sustained period of time in the region because the wind farm will be considered by the traditional family/nature based tourist sector as an attraction.

Potential impacts to flora and fauna have been assessed as being insignificant and if anything,  recommended management measures (including the proposed revegetation program) have the potential to enhance regional biodiversity. The well publicised risk to the critically endangered Orange-bellied Parrot has in fact been demonstrated to be nothing beyond typical mortality levels, even when considered in a ‘worst-case’ scenario.

The assessment of potential landscape and visual impacts is a typically subjective area, where impacts experienced vary by location. The scenic qualities of the proposed sites (particularly Cape Bridgewater and Cape Nelson) and residential concerns were responded to by a layout design process that considered natural and cultural landscape features by avoiding visual clutter and seeking to enhance aesthetic appeal.

The visual assessment of the finalised layouts allowed for only a minimal amount of high level of visual impact zones, where wind generators may appear prominently in panoramic views of the ocean/coast interface. The view of the Cape Bridgewater wind generators from the Great South West Walk at Discovery Bay is one such example, yet other ocean/coast interface lookouts, such as the ones located at Cape Nelson, Cape Sir William Grant, and Yambuk are generally distant from the coast itself and result in low to medium visual impacts for  tourists and Portland residents.

Stage 1: Yambuk

Yambuk. Image: FoE

The initial stage in Pacific Hydro’s Wind Energy Project, the Yambuk Wind Farm is located next to Pacific Hydro’s Codrington wind farm near Port Fairy. The site was chosen for its ideal average annual wind speed of 30 km/h and currently contributes enough clean electricity to the National Electricity Grid to offset an estimated 100,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually.

A significant level of community consultation for this project was undertaken by Pacific Hydro before its commencement, with the response generally being very positive; one survey demonstrated that 88 per cent of people supported the project and only 4 percent opposed it, and at one stage, the local community even held a public rally in favour of the project. This was not wholly unexpected, given the Yambuk project injected $20 million into the local economy and created more than 60 jobs at the peak of its construction.

When construction of the farm commenced, it also marked the opening of a nearby blade factory by Danish wind turbine maker Vestas, but this was setback by a lack of investment from the Howard administration and eventually closed due to this lack of support.

Stage 2: Cape Bridgewater

Currently in operation, the 58MW Cape Bridgewater wind farm was the largest in Victoria upon its completion in 2008. The project was pivotal in establishing south west Victoria as the State’s renewable energy hub, providing a significant boost to the local economy by creating many direct and indirect jobs for local contractors during its construction phase.

The project comprises 29 2MW wind generators and produces enough electricity to prevent an estimated 237,000 tonnes of greenhouse  gases each year.

Stage 3: Cape Nelson South

Another operational wind farm, the Cape Nelson South plant was completed in May 2009 by over 300 contractors and labourers mostly from the Portland region. In addition to creating substantial job opportunities during construction, Pacific Hydro is working with local environmental groups to facilitate revegetation programs and support efforts to protect native wildlife. The Cape Nelson South wind farm possesses a total capacity of 44MW, comprised of 22 2MW  generators to offset approximately 141,000 tonnes** of greenhouse gases per year.

Stage 4: Cape Nelson North and Cape Sir William Grant

Currently under development and in the stages of finalisation, Pacific Hydro now state that they have identified changes relating to turbine numbers, location and size.

The amended site layout has taken into account a range of factors, in particular possible impacts on the local environment, visual amenity, and cultural heritage. This has necessitated the reduction in the number of generators in the final stage of the project, yet this is not considered of any detriment to power generation as technological advances in the wind industry have seen  improvements in generator efficiency. As a result, the height of some generators will be increased and relocated at the top of the sand dunes at Cape Nelson North.

The final layout proposes a total of 27 generators (reduced from the maximum 58 allowed across the two sites), with the 11 at Cape Nelson North proposed to increase in height to 126.25m (total height from the ground to the tip of the blade when vertical). To neutralise their increased height in the landscape, these turbines will be placed underneath those at the peak of the sand dunes down onto the grazing land below.

The remaining 16 turbines will be located at Cape Sir William Grant, with six to have a total height of 110m, two at 115m, four at 121m, and four at 126m.

The primary aim of these reduced turbine numbers is to minimise overall environmental impacts, such as visual amenity, cultural heritage impacts, and native vegetation, and to negate the (already low) risk posed to birds and bats.

The new proposed height of generators will also necessitate aviation safety lighting to be fitted to some generators in accordance with the requirements of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA). It is required that structures above 110m in total height must carry aviation safety lighting fitted to the nacelle of the generators (not the blades) and synchronised together to flash horizontally directed light. Given information about the project is based on anticipated outcomes from the planning and development process, the final design of the project is subject to variation.