New South Wales blocks 102-MW wind project of Union Fenosa

The Australian state of New South Wales has turned down a proposal for an up to 102-MW wind project, mainly due to concerns related to its visual impact.

The negative decision was issued by the state’s Independent Planning Commission on Friday and concerns the Crookwell III project proposed by Crookwell Development Pty Ltd, part of Union Fenosa Wind Australia. In its decision, the authority cites the visual impacts and the proximity of the planned power plant to nearby residential spaces as the major reasons for the denial.

Overall, the project was considered not to be in the public interest, with its potential adverse cumulative impacts in an area where there are other wind farms also weighing on the decision. While the wind project “would result in the public benefits of delivering renewable energy and reduce the reliance on fossil fuel consumption, there are significant residual issues,” the Commission said.

The developer’s plan envisages the installation of 23 turbines at a site at Crookwell, in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, in proximity to the 4.8-MW Crookwell 1 and 92-MW Crookwell 2 plants, both of which are operational. The total investment in the phase 3 scheme is estimated at AUD 120 million (USD 81.9m/EUR 73.9m).

(AUD 1.0 = USD 0.682/EUR 0.616)

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