Proposed wind farm in state’s North East declared Major Project by Minister for Planning
- $2.7B renewable energy project planned for North East
- Development phase expected to take around three to five years, followed by a construction period of around five years
- Project to be assessed under Major Projects process designed for significant projects
12 August 2022, TAS – ACEN Australia welcomes the Tasmanian Minister for Planning’s declaration of a proposed large-scale wind farm in the state’s North East as an eligible Major Project.
North East Wind involves the proposed development of a large-scale wind farm located on agricultural land in the Dorset municipality across two clusters, Waterhouse in the west and Rushy Lagoon in the east.
The project will be assessed in accordance with the Major Projects process under the Tasmanian Land Use Planning and Approvals Act 1993. This involves the establishment of an independent panel, and development of coordinated and robust assessment criteria including land use, heritage, Aboriginal heritage, environmental, threatened species and infrastructure requirements. North East Wind will be the second project in Tasmania to be assessed under this process, which is designed for projects of significant regional benefit, strategic importance, scale and complexity. Importantly, the Major Projects process involves clear opportunities for public consultation and input.
With a construction investment of $2.7B and generation capacity of up to 1,260 megawatts, North East Wind would make a significant contribution to meeting the Tasmanian Government’s target to double the state’s installed renewable energy generation capacity by 2040.
ACEN Australia Chief Operating Officer David Pollington commented that while North East Wind is aligned with the State Government’s renewable energy action plan, we are keen to work with the local community and stakeholders on how the project can be delivered in a way that offers shared value.
“It is expected that the project will have an operational life of more than 25 years. We expect the development to take three to five years and full construction about five years”, he said.
“We’ve already been engaging with the local community and stakeholders for some time and importantly we will continue to do this throughout the development. We are seeking inputs from the local community and stakeholders including Aboriginal representative groups, training and education providers as well as social enterprises to help shape the project”, he said.
With such a significant construction investment, it is anticipated that there will be many opportunities for local Tasmanian businesses to be involved.
“Once the project is operational, there will be long-term employment and service provision opportunities for the North East region and we have a commitment to employ and buy regionally where we can so we can keep the benefits local. For example, there will be likely opportunities for businesses to provide goods and services such as accommodation and catering, fencing, earthworks and landscaping, environmental monitoring, engineering, construction materials and equipment just to name a few.”
The development is expected to create up to 400 jobs at peak during construction, and up to 65 jobs for 25 years when operational.
Learn more about North East Wind at www.newind.com.au, or Facebook https://www.facebook.com/northeastwindtas
ENDS
Media enquiries
Michael Connarty
Manager, Strategy and Stakeholder Engagement
ACEN Australia
0407 368 174
michael.connarty@acenrenewables.com.au
About ACEN
ACEN is the listed energy platform of the Ayala Group. The company has ~3,800 MW of attributable capacity in the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, India, and Australia. The company’s renewable share of capacity is at 87%, among the highest in the region.
ACEN’s aspiration is to be the largest listed renewables platform in Southeast Asia, with a goal of reaching 5,000 MW of renewables capacity by 2025. In October 2021, ACEN announced its commitment to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
ACEN has been a partner of UPC Renewables in Australia since 2018. In 2021, ACEN began a transaction to eventually own 100% of UPC\AC Renewables by early 2023; with this transaction, the company is now called ACEN Australia. This marks a strategic pivot for ACEN as it embarks on its first wholly owned development and operations platform outside of the Philippines.
More information
ACEN – visit www.acenrenewables.com
ACEN Australia – visit www.acenrenewables.com.au