What is proposed for this Wind-Plant?

EHN (Oceania) Pty Ltd is a Melbourne-based subsiduary of Spanish company EHN. They are proposing to build a 60-tower wind-plant on the Molonglo Ridge south-east of Queanbeyan, about 4km from the outskirts of the Greater Queanbeyan area.

If permitted to go ahead the wind-plant site will utilise approximately 15 kilometres of the Molonglo ridges on Woolcara Station. This visibility map (PDF 81 kb) shows where the turbines will be located and how far they will be viewed. The proposed wind-plant will consist of:

60, 125 metre tall structures (80m towers topped by 45m blades) spaced at about 200 metre intervals along the ridgelines.
Access roads cut into the hillsides and ridges, sufficient to take very heavy vehicles.
Power lines between the towers and from the wind-plant to the grid;
Concrete batching plants.
Electricity sub-station(s).
Obstruction lighting on the towers.

It will:

Have turbines located 500 metres from the nearest property
Be built in an area surrounded by five nature conservation areas – Tinderry Nature Reserve, Yanunbeyan National Park, Cuumbeun Nature Reserve, Googong Foreshores, and Burra Creek Nature Reserve
Adjoin an important wildlife corridor between the Tinderry Mountains and Lake George
Have turbines constructed on the escarpment on the Googong Dam catchment
Create excessive local road traffic during the long construction period – one heavy vehicle approximately every 75 seconds on local roads

Last Updated: 20 November, 2005