Crows Nest Wind Farm
Encyclopedia
The proposed Crows Nest Wind Farm, will be located in south-eastern Queensland
, 40 kilometres north of Toowoomba. It initially has was to have an installed generating capacity of 124 MW that would produce enough electricity for some 47,000 homes. It is expected that the wind farm
will create 460 manufacturing and construction jobs and a further 15 full time maintenance jobs in Crows Nest
. The Crows Nest location on the western edge of the Darling Downs, offers some of the best average wind speeds available in Queensland, and the project will provide additional security of electricity supply in this fast growing area.
The project was acquired by AGL Energy
in 2009 after purchasing it and another wind farm at Barn Hill in South Australia from Transfield Services
. In June 2009, AGL was allowed to increase the number of turbines by 20 units and therefore the output from 124 MW to 200 MW. The cost of the project is now expecting to be A$270 million.
blades would cause light flicker as they passed the sun, turbines would cause noise, devalue land, be a detriment to fauna and visual appeal of the area and were contrary to the council's town plan. They also argued the green credentials of wind farms were a myth because large amounts of coal-fired energy was needed to power up generators to full capacity after a drop in wind speed. After drawn-out legal proceedings and mediation between the parties, the objections were progressively dropped.
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, 40 kilometres north of Toowoomba. It initially has was to have an installed generating capacity of 124 MW that would produce enough electricity for some 47,000 homes. It is expected that the wind farm
Wind farm
A wind farm is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electric power. A large wind farm may consist of several hundred individual wind turbines, and cover an extended area of hundreds of square miles, but the land between the turbines may be used for agricultural or other...
will create 460 manufacturing and construction jobs and a further 15 full time maintenance jobs in Crows Nest
Crows Nest, Queensland
Crows Nest is a town in the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia. The town is located on the New England Highway from the state capital, Brisbane and from the nearby city of Toowoomba within the Toowoomba Region local government area...
. The Crows Nest location on the western edge of the Darling Downs, offers some of the best average wind speeds available in Queensland, and the project will provide additional security of electricity supply in this fast growing area.
The project was acquired by AGL Energy
AGL Energy
AGL Energy is the largest Australian gas and electricity retailer, with over six million customers. It has large investments in the supply of gas and electricity, and has recently invested in sustainable energy businesses such as wind farms and a hydroelectric power station in Victoria’s High...
in 2009 after purchasing it and another wind farm at Barn Hill in South Australia from Transfield Services
Transfield Services
Transfield Services Limited is an Australian publicly listed corporation providing operations and maintenance, asset management, project and capital management outsourcing and infrastructure development services to the resources and industrial, infrastructure services and property and facilities...
. In June 2009, AGL was allowed to increase the number of turbines by 20 units and therefore the output from 124 MW to 200 MW. The cost of the project is now expecting to be A$270 million.
Objections
Residents of Crows Nest Shire formed a "No Wind Farm" group which objected to the proposal. The activists contended that turbineWind turbine
A wind turbine is a device that converts kinetic energy from the wind into mechanical energy. If the mechanical energy is used to produce electricity, the device may be called a wind generator or wind charger. If the mechanical energy is used to drive machinery, such as for grinding grain or...
blades would cause light flicker as they passed the sun, turbines would cause noise, devalue land, be a detriment to fauna and visual appeal of the area and were contrary to the council's town plan. They also argued the green credentials of wind farms were a myth because large amounts of coal-fired energy was needed to power up generators to full capacity after a drop in wind speed. After drawn-out legal proceedings and mediation between the parties, the objections were progressively dropped.