Decision on future of Tasmanian wind farm is postponed

ABC NEWS (Australia)

A decision on whether a controversial wind farm on Tasmania’s north-west coast can go ahead has been deferred for another two months. The delay means the final call on the Robbins Island wind farm might fall to the next federal government.

Transcript

00:00Another delay for the proposed Robbins Island wind farm.

00:05Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek will not decide its fate until at least May 9,

00:10angering both supporters and opponents of the project.

00:14She has a responsibility, we believe, to decline it.

00:18Steve Pilkington's group, the Circular Head Coastal Awareness Network,

00:21has fought against the project and lost in the courts.

00:24They believe it should not be approved under the country's biodiversity law.

00:28It's there to protect biodiversity and Robbins Island's a haven of biodiversity.

00:33But a renewable energy advocate wants to see it built as soon as possible.

00:38It's a great project for Tasmania, provides on-island energy,

00:41but also provides energy, it will provide energy to go into the Mariner Sting project

00:46and help decarbonise the nation.

00:48The deferral comes in the wake of a recent study into an endangered bird species.

00:53A spokesperson for the Federal Environment Department said

00:56Additional time is needed to ensure all relevant information for this complex decision is thoroughly considered,

01:03in particular new scientific analysis about the migration of the critically endangered orange-bellied parrot.

01:09ACEN Australia, the company behind the wind farm,

01:12remains optimistic it will be green-lit despite the delay.

01:16Managing Director David Pollington called it

01:18a transformative opportunity for Tasmania's renewable energy future.

01:23With a federal election looming and further possible legal challenges,

01:27the project's future is anything but certain.

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