Epuron cuts turbine count of 300-MW Tasmanian wind project

Australian renewables developer Epuron Pty Ltd has trimmed the turbine number of its 300-MW St Patricks Plains wind project in Tasmania in order to lower the visual impacts and align with community feedback.

The proposed wind park in the central highlands of the island Aussie state will include 47 turbines, instead of 50 units that were proposed in the previous project layout. Originally, the proposal consisted of 67 turbines.

The latest revision was made following data from two-year surveys of eagle utilisation, flora and fauna, aboriginal and cultural heritage, electromagnetic interference, noise and visual impacts, the developer said. It noted that the selected project site has strong consistent winds and offers a powerline with available capacity. The area is located within Tasmania’s Midlands Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) – one of three in Tasmania identified by the Australian Energy Market Operator as optimal for new projects.

The “candidate” turbine used for the noise modelling plan was the V162 5.6 MW model of Denmark’s Vestas Wind Systems.

Epuron’s next step regarding the scheme will be to file an environmental impact statement (EIS). After being accepted by the respective authorities, the developer will hold public exhibitions.

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