A MINOR party politician is again seeking to stall the proposed 136 turbine extension to the Woakwine Range windfarm.
SA BEST MLC Connie Bonaros first called in October for a moratorium on all new wind farms in South Australia due to the possibility of adverse health impacts.
Such a moratorium sought by the novice parliamentarian would stall the long-term plans of Infigen Energy which already has 112 wind turbines at Lake Bonney and is currently building a $38.5m battery storage system near Tantanoola.
Infigen Energy secured planning approval seven years ago for a further 136 turbines northwards along the Woakwine Range between Millicent and Cape Jaffa.
The Wattle Range Council Assessment Panel granted an extension in 2018.
“SA-BEST is deeply concerned at the pace wind farms are growing in size and capacity and are being approved by laws that are appallingly antiquated,”Ms Bonaros said.
“Technology has far outpaced our current laws and these companies are taking full advantage of that fact.
“Current wind farm planning regulations have not been formally reviewed for at least seven years and current wind farm noise regulations have not been formally reviewed with full public consultation since 2009.
“This means windfarms that have been approved in recent years – and those currently seeking approval – have the latest technology but are being approved by outdated regulations and guidelines.
“The outdated regulations are simply not appropriate for the current turbine sizes.
“A decade ago wind farms were being approved with turbine heights of around 100-120 metres – those up for current approval are double that in height.
“We are not against renewable energy – in fact, our record on that stands for itself – our concern is that our current laws are so outdated and have not kept up with the pace of technology.”
Ms Bonaros again called on the government to place an urgent moratorium on approval or construction of any new wind farms until an independent, full and thorough review is undertaken.
“Any review by the government must be undertaken with full transparency, with input from the community that will be impacted at the local level and independent acousticians and that improved safeguards for nearby residents are in place before any new wind turbines are approved or constructed.
“We are also seeking the implementation of an updated, evidenced-based planning and noise pollution compliance regime that is transparent, effective in protecting health and relevant for much larger and more powerful wind turbines.
“SA-BEST supports renewable energy – including wind farms – but we must ensure the appropriate laws and guidelines are commensurate with advances in wind farm technologies and generation capacities.
“Until these issues are resolved, the State Government must place an urgent moratorium on approval or construction of any new wind farms.”
