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It's over: Acciona pulls the plug on Molonglo Ridge

Sat, 31 May 2008 01:27:56 GMT

In welcome news, Acciona have announced that they will not be proceeding with the Molonglo Ridge Industrial Wind Plant.

A media release quietly slipped out by the company under embargo until 29 May 2008 confirmed what the community knew all along – that the project was not viable.

Stating the obvious, Acciona Managing Director, Brett Thomas said that the site did not meet their standards as appropriate development. This is hardly a surprise – the Molonglo Landscape Guardians (MLG) have consistently argued that the proposed Industrial wind plant was too close to homes, too close to wildlife habitat, and too close to water catchment areas. What a pity it took Acciona 4 years to notice these things.

“We have looked very closely at the proposed project over a period of time so that we could fully understand the technical, environmental, community and financial aspects of the site. Having completed this work and listened to stakeholders, including landowners, government and the community; we have decided that the site does not meet our very strict standards for appropriate development”, Brett Thomas said.

The media release claims that the company carried out "extensive" consultation with the community during 2004 and 2005. We question this claim and have documented Acciona's abyssmal performance in consultation. Their hopelessly out-of-date website has not been updated since March 2005, which was about the same time all meaningful communication with the community and local government ceased. They conducted four local meetings over as many days in December 2004, and issued three, empty newsletters – the last of which was published on their website in March 2005. Since then, nothing but the occasional press release with the standard line "studies are continuing". All in all, Acciona's efforts at consulting with the community have been nothing short of pathetic.

Even though Acciona have pronouced their ill-considered Industrial Wind Plant dead, the work of the MLG will continue. In particular, we will be active in contributing to the development of the Palerang Local Environment Plan (LEP) to ensure that the ridgelines are kept clear of inappropriate development, such as Industrial Wind Plants.

The MLG will continue to support other like-minded communities who are faced with unwanted industrial wind installations in their neighbourhoods. The MLG will also continue to lobby government for sensible guidelines for the siting of industrial wind turbines and a process that gives local communities a real say in decisions.

"Windmills, we all know, don't work"

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 14:42:40 GMT

Strange goings-on in the wind industry. Earlier this month, a German company trumpetted plans to build a 500 turbine wind farm in far west of NSW. The company simultaneously announced that the project was already in "jeopardy" unless – of course – Federal and State governments increase subsidies to the wind industry.

How could a project be in jeopardy before it even starts? Why is the same project announced with all the accompanying media hoopla when the company proposing it has not even gathered a full year's worth of wind monitoring?

In an article published in The Canberra Times, Simon Grose examines how the spin and promises of the renewable energy industry, and in particular the wind industry, fail to live up to reality.

The article also quotes a renewable energy industry insider who confirms that wind turbines "don't work" due to the variablity of output but are popular with Governments who seek to convince the voting public of their green credentials.

MLG submission to Federal Parliamentary Inquiry now available on Parliament website

Thu, 25 Oct 2007 00:10:41

The Molonglo Landscape Guardians' submission to House of Representatives Standing Committee on Industry and Resources inquiry into Renewable Energy has been published on the Parliament's website.

Molonglo left in limbo: No news yet on wind farm

Sun, 23 Jul 2007 13:00:00 GMT

It has been a year since Acciona Energy announced that their plans for the Molonglo Ridge wind farm proposal were "postponed". Yet the community that will bear the brunt of the wind-farm's impacts is still waiting for any news from Acciona about their plans.

A report in The Canberra Times highlights community concerns about Acciona's non-communication of their plans for the site.