Federal Government approves 100-turbine wind farm on Tasmania’s Robbin Island

ABC NEWS (Australia)

After years of delays Canberra has approved a controversial wind farm on a remote island off the north-western coast of Tasmania. The 100-turbine Robbins Island wind farm will be the largest of its type in Tasmania.

Transcript

00:00Today's decision is the final approval step for the wind farm,

00:05which has been in the works for the better part of a decade.

00:09100 turbines, 900 megawatts, $3 billion.

00:13It's proposed to be built on a farm on Robbins Island,

00:16a remote part of northwest Tasmania

00:18by Philippines-owned company ASEN Australia.

00:21The Commonwealth had delayed its decision seven times

00:25up until this point due to the need to assess

00:28a wide range of environmental reports and environmental advice.

00:33The island is home to a range of shorebirds.

00:36It's on the migratory path of the critically endangered orange-bellied parrot

00:41and it's home to a population of Tasmanian devils as well

00:44that don't have the facial tumour disease

00:47and the wind farm requires a bridge to be built to it.

00:50But Environment Minister Murray Watt, in announcing his approval today,

00:54says that the 88 conditions that he's imposed should be able

00:58to mitigate some of those concerns.

01:00I can assure all Australians that when it comes time to deciding

01:03whether to approve that management plan or not,

01:05I will be looking very carefully at what impacts the wind turbines have

01:10on any critically endangered or endangered species.

01:14As I say, 88 conditions, that's pretty tough on the proponent

01:18and it shows that we're not taking these issues lightly.

01:22This project's really been a bit of a lightning rod for that contest

01:25between the push for more renewable energy

01:27and also protecting environmental values of national significance.

01:32Robbins Island, it's a unique environment.

01:34It has a lot of wetlands.

01:36It has tidal areas that are relied upon by a broad range of bird life.

01:40Environmental groups argue that it isn't the right place for a wind farm.

01:44They say they're not against wind energy,

01:46but they don't think that this has been the right place to build it.

01:49And so it's faced a lot of legal challenges.

01:51It's had to get through Tasmania's Planning Appeals Tribunal.

01:54It's faced a Supreme Court challenge as well.

01:57And at one point, the Tasmanian government actually imposed a condition

02:01on the wind farm that it shut down for five months every year

02:05during Orange Belly Parrot migration.

02:07ASAN Australia managed to get that condition overturned.

02:11But one of the conditions that Murray Watt announced today

02:14is that there will need to be a bird management plan,

02:16and that could result in the wind farm having to shut down

02:20or temporarily shut down for various periods.

02:22Again, that still needs to be determined and worked through

02:25before the construction starts in 2031.

02:29This bird management plan Murray Watt will need to approve as well.

02:34That reflects the environmental value of this land.

02:37But at this stage, this wind farm will now be able to go ahead

02:40as long as there aren't any further legal appeals.

02:43The Bob Brown Foundation has appealed previously,

02:45and it waits to be seen if they appeal again.

02:48That again.

02:49That again.

02:50That again.

02:51That again.

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