Ballarat Courier
Friday 13/4/2007 Page: 2
The State Government approved the 64-turbine wind farm on the recommendation of an independent panel. The 160-megawatt facility, to be built on 2600 hectares of land at Mt Mercer, about 30km south of Ballarat, is expected to generate enough electricity to power more than 73,000 hones. The site will also house a major service and maintenance centre for wind turbines in the region creating 12 permanent positions.
Planning Minister Justin Madden said the development, the 11th wind farm approved for Victoria, was an economic and environmental boon. The Mt Mercer wind farm will be a win for the environment, a win for jobs and a win for sustainable development in rural and regional Victoria," Mr Madden said.
"We expect this project alone to save more than 390,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year - that's 11.7 million 'black balloons' that would otherwise be floating up into the atmosphere." Mr Madden said the wind farm was expected to take between 12 to 18 months to install and create up to 120 construction jobs and 12 permanent positions.
The company behind the development, Westwind Energy, said it was "very pleased" with the approval. Business development manager Tobias Geiger said Westwind Energy was an Australian company but part of the German-based Westwind group of companies.
Mr Geiger said Westwind Energy had "generally" received strong support from the local community. He said the company would work to earn the trust of community members who still had reservations.
The Mt Mercer site is 8km of the Enfield State Park and 15km of Meredith, Rokewood, Dereel, Corindhap and Grenville.
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