Up to 98% of a wind turbine’s large metal components (such as the tower sections, cast iron frame, and nacelle) and 95% of other major parts (generator, gearbox, cables, and yaw system) can be recycled.⁶

Wind turbine blades have been challenging to recycle due to the use of epoxy resin in the blade, which is a hard and durable plastic. Many major wind turbine and blade manufacturers are now working on technologies that increase their recyclability and avoid landfill, and we would look to employ such technologies to the extent they become available in the future.

We commit to responsible decommissioning of infrastructure and site rehabilitation at the end of the operational life of the wind farm. When decommissioning, we aim to sustainably reuse, repurpose, recycle, recover and responsibly dispose of the wind farm infrastructure in ways that will support Australia’s circular economy.

The decommissioning process may involve:

• Preparing a decommissioning plan that details the decommissioning process.

• Establishing a decommissioning fund years before the end of the wind farm’s operational life to cover the cost of decommissioning. The amount we are required to set aside in the decommissioning fund can be determined by an independent cost assessment, to ensure there are sufficient funds to complete the job.

• Dismantling and removing the wind turbines.

• Removing related infrastructure (unless the host landowner requests that infrastructure be retained on site and our development approval conditions allow for this).

• Covering and revegetating roads and foundations.  

Minimal impacts are anticipated during operation of the wind farm. Potential impacts to the surrounding road network will occur during the construction phase when materials, machinery, and wind turbine components are delivered to site. Changes to traffic conditions may include: 

• Increased traffic.

• More heavy vehicles.

• Temporary access and route detours.

• Slower travel speeds.

• Minor upgrades to public roads and intersections, if required.

We will develop a Traffic Management Plan in consultation with road authorities and traffic engineers to ensure that construction traffic is appropriately managed and adheres to the relevant laws.

We will undertake a survey of the condition of the road just before the project starts construction. The same survey will then be repeated when construction is completed. Where degradation in the road condition is observed, we will return the roads to their pre-construction conditions.

Shadow flicker is the effect of the sun (low on the horizon) shining through the rotating blades of a wind turbine, casting a moving shadow.  The impact of shadow flicker decreases with distance from the wind turbine. We will ensure the design of our wind farm avoids or minimises shadow flicker at nearby dwellings, keeping it well within regulatory limits. Independent shadow flicker experts will undertake a shadow flicker assessment to assess the potential shadow flicker impacts on nearby dwellings.  

Like almost anything that moves, such as moving cars, waves or wind through trees, an operational wind turbine will make noise. Wind turbines create a mechanical hum sound produced by the generator and a “whooshing” sound made by the blades moving through the air. The sound you may hear from a wind farm will vary depending on how far you are from the wind turbines, the wind turbine model, atmospheric conditions, background noise, the amount of wind, local topography, and ground cover (trees or pasture, for example).

As part of a development process, an experienced and independent acoustic engineer will be engaged to carry out a noise impact assessment that considers how the wind farm layout will comply with the relevant noise standards and policies. Should the project be approved, several approval conditions will need to be satisfied, including operational noise testing to verify compliance with the prescribed limits.

Wind farms affect the visual amenity of the surrounding area. The degree of visual impact depends on the extent of change to the landscape caused by the development.  An experienced landscape architect and visualisation expert will undertake a visual impact assessment as part of the development application process. They will assess the visual impact of wind turbines on a range of factors, including the existing values and character of the landscape, and the size and scale of the project from private and public spaces. Tools used to assess the visual impact may include:

• Photomontages providing a visual representation of wind turbines from a range of representative viewpoints.

• Turbine visibility maps.

• Artistic diagrams, renders and illustrations.

• Zone of visual influence modelling.  

We will be able to use the findings to improve the layout and avoid or minimise significant adverse landscape and visual effects through onsite and offsite options.

Wind farms are designed to include extensive fire mitigation measures and have detailed fire and emergency response management plans. The plans are prepared in consultation with state and local fire services. Fire breaks are installed around infrastructure to reduce the fuel load and prevent the spread of a fire. Water and firefighting equipment may be stored onsite at strategic locations. The internal road network will provide improved mobility for farmers, support staff and emergency services. Access roads also reduce the likelihood of fire moving through, or leaving the property as they act as an effective firebreak in many circumstances.

Wind farms also do not prevent aerial firefighting activities. Pilots navigate to avoid wind turbines in the same manner as they avoid other obstructions, such as buildings, radio towers and power lines.

Under normal operating circumstances, it’s extremely unlikely that a wind farm can cause or adversely affect a bush fire. The Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council (AFAC) confirms that wind farms are not expected to adversely affect fire behaviour, nor create major ignition risks.

In Australia, lightning is one of the main sources of bushfire ignition accounting for 90% of the total area burnt by all fires. AFAC highlight that wind turbines may reduce the risk of bushfires caused by lightning due to their in-built lightning protection mechanisms. Modern wind turbines are fitted with automatic controls that activate in the unlikely event of a fire, which may include shutting down equipment, fire suppression, and notifying emergency services.

We understand the importance of biosecurity and the risks to farming, environment and social amenity caused by poor biosecurity practices. We employ strict biosecurity measures to stop the introduction or spread of invasive plant species in an area. As part of the early feasibility studies, we agree on an access protocol with the landowners to ensure appropriate biosecurity protection measures are undertaken by project teams when entering a property including:

• Surveys needed to identify high risk areas.

• Marked construction corridors and exclusion areas (to avoid driving off-road and/or seasonal restrictions to areas).

• Vehicle and machinery clean down procedures, including:  vehicle and machinery inspections, checklists, certificates, washdown bays and clean down facilities for vehicles and machinery moving between sensitive areas.

• Limits and restriction on the movement of topsoil during construction.

• Requirements for runoff and drainage design to help prevent the spread of invasive plants.

• Obligations for timely rehabilitation of any areas temporarily disturbed by construction activities.

• Training and awareness including site inductions for all site personnel.

Detailed environmental assessments are required to obtain state and Commonwealth approval to construct and operate awind farm. We undertake these assessments to help us understand the existing biodiversity on site, potential impacts caused by the project, and ways to avoid or minimise them.

We follow the ‘avoid, minimise, offset’ principles. We will design the wind farm to avoid and minimise biodiversity impacts by means such as carefully siting project infrastructure, and creating exclusion zones and wildlife corridors.

Where impacts cannot be avoided, we will mitigate them through environmental offsets that will preserve the habitat of the impacted species. This involves securing land at another site and managing that land over time to benefit those impacted species.

A bird and bat risk assessment will be prepared as part of the development application. Impacts will be assessed against the relevant state and federal conservation acts. These assessments will inform our Bird and Bat Adaptive Management Plan to help us to monitor and manage any potential impacts to bird and bat species during the construction and operation of our wind farm.

We undertake early, transparent, and timely community engagement when developing our projects. Our communication and engagement approach are guided by the international standards of the:

• International Association for Public Participation (IAP2).

• International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA).

We engage early with the aim to:

• Raise project awareness.

• Include community knowledge in the design and delivery of our projects (where possible) to reflect community values.

• Gather local feedback to learn about community needs, concerns, and interests.

• Learn how stakeholders wish to be engaged.

• Proactively address community concerns in a timely manner.

• Enable the sharing of ideas and resources.

• Manage expectations and build trust.

Wind farms support communities by creating economic and social benefits such as:

• Providing training opportunitiesthat help build technical expertise, address skill gaps and improve career pathways.

• Creating local jobs to boost employment in the area during construction and operation of thewind farm.

• Buying locally to boost regional economies.

• Building relationships and working with local contractors, suppliers, and service providers.

• Generating a source of income for landowners.

• Contributing to national and state renewable energy targets.
  
  

We are committed to sharing the benefits of our wind farms with the host communities. We will do this by establishing a community benefit fund for the operational life of theproject, in line with best industry practices and the needs and expectations of local communities. We want the funding to have a positive, lasting, and meaningful impact on communities that host our projects.

We acknowledge the diverse needs of each community and will co-develop a benefit fund with local communities. Before we establish the fund, we will consult with the community to understand their needs and determine how they wish to be engaged to foster positive outcomes, provide value, and contribute more equitably to the regional economy.

A community benefit fund which invests in local projects and community organisations, as determined by the community, can improve standard of living and help to relieve pressure on council budgets and allow initiatives that might have otherwise been subject to budget constraints, to be realised more quickly. 

Wind farms are compatible with farming, with the majority of operational wind farms successfully coexisting with cropping and grazing operations.  

The footprint of a wind farm depends on the topography of the land. A rule of thumb is the footprint attributable to a single wind turbine is approximately 1ha, and the footprint of the whole wind farm is typically around 2-5% of the total land area.

We will work with farmers, rural and regional communities, and other industry groups at all stages of our projects development to optimise any land-use conflict. An agricultural impact assessment will form part of the development approval. 

All surveys, studies and designs completed as part of the planning application process provide us with a detailed understanding of the existing conditions on a proposed wind farm’s site (topography, soil condition, vegetation cover, etc.) and allow the project to be designed to have minimal, if any, impact on the ability to farm on the site and neighbouring land.

To understand and optimise the potential social, environmental, and ecological impacts and benefits of our projects, we will undertake a variety of assessments to inform thedesign, including in relation to:

• Agriculture;

• Aviation, if applicable;

• Bushfire and other fire hazards;

• Cultural heritage;

• Environmental and ecological studies, including fauna and flora, bat and bird, and target species (for example, vulnerable and threatened species);

• Hydrology;

• Landscape and visual impact;

• Noise;

• Topographical survey;

• Traffic and transportation; and

• Wind monitoring.

A wind farm development requires a range of planning approvals from government. The approval process will consider the size, location, and potential planning, social, economic, and environmental impacts associated with the project. State government involvement in planning and environmental approvals varies from state to state. State planning legislation will designate the threshold for when the local or state planning authority becomes responsible for development approvals and will dictate the planning process. Depending on the state, a development application may take over two years to prepare. An approval decision typically takes anywhere from six months to a couple of years.

Additional approval at the Commonwealth level is needed when projects are deemed to affect matters of national environmental significance as listed under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).

Before selecting a site for a wind farm, we carry out assessments to help us determine the project’s size and feasibility. We check if there is a strong enough wind resource, what the size the wind farm could be, the feasibility of connecting into the national electricity grid, whether there are planning and environmental constraints, proximity to dwellings and sensitive locations, and various other assessments.

Once a site has been identified and landowners have confirmed their willingness to host infrastructure, we engage the community and key stakeholders as part of an ongoing consultation process.

A wind farm typically takes 5 years to develop and 2-3 years to build, depending on its size. Once operational, the wind farm’s expected operating life is typically 30 years, excluding the time required to decommission. 

Manufacturing and installing wind turbines require materials such as steel, concrete, fibreglass, copper, and other mined minerals and metals, all of which have a carbon footprint. The amount of time it takes a turbine to generate enough clean energy to pay back the energy used in the manufacturing process can be as low as 5 months, which is around 1/60th of its operating life⁴. Once the turbines are constructed, they will produce carbon-free energy for decades. A 2021 article published in Forbes states that wind energy has a carbon footprint of 99% less than coal-fired power plants, 98% less than natural gas, and 75% less than solar.⁵

Wind power is amongst the lowest cost newbuild energy technology available in Australia². When comparing the Levelised Cost of Energy (LCOE) of energy technologies nationwide, wind remains approximately half that of coal and gas³. Wind farms have the key advantage of free fuel (wind) to produce the energy.

Wind turbines capture energy from the wind that flows over each blade, much like how an aeroplane’s wing generates lift. The rotating blades drive an electrical generator to produce electricity. The wind turbine has many major components – three blades, a hub, nacelle, tower, and foundation. The nacelle is the housing at the top of the tower, which contains the drive train, gearbox, generator, controls, and cooling equipment. The tower connects the nacelle to the reinforced concrete foundation and is designed to withstand strong winds.

Onshore wind turbines available today in Australia are up to 7.8MW. Just one 7.8MW turbine could power up to 5,500 Australian homes per year.¹