The town of Ongerup in Western Australia might be tiny, remote and known mostly for wheat, but wind farming could be about to put it on the map.
Vestas, one of the world’s biggest wind turbine makers, has plans to build a new wind farm near the town of about 114 people that could see 70 turbines of up to 250 metres tall pumping 500 megawatts of power into the state’s energy grid. That’s about to change the landscape in more ways than one.
Nearly 400 kms south-east of Perth, Ongerup is just the latest farming community earmarked for development as the state pushes to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. And the West Australian government is simplifying approvals by allowing developers to lodge applications directly with it.
In fact there are half a dozen developers with wind projects in the pipeline across the south of WA, turning the southern grain belt into a new energy corridor with more than 1,000 turbines. One of the biggest may be by Spanish-owned Acciona Energy which is contemplating a farm with 400 turbines.
Its not just on land either. The Federal Government is backing offshore wind too, offering feasibility licences to projects in Victoria and New South Wales as the next step in building an Australian industry. Much of these will also be sited off the cost of regional towns & regions.
As I’ve already talked about before, regional Australia is on the front line for clean energy and not everyone welcomes the change. Wind turbines are of course a big deal for rural towns, changing the countryside on the one hand but bringing major economic pay offs as well.
Last year I mentioned a new survey showing 66% of people in the country support clean energy projects, but warning that better communication & engagement about projects is crucial for community support to continue. That just makes sense.
I’ve seen media reports showing some criticism from rural communities of clean energy projects, but the answer to many of our problems is literally blowing in the wind. We shouldn’t let it stall.
