Another renewable energy project has been approved for development in Victoria, taking the State a step further towards having cheaper and cleaner electricity for almost 250,000 homes.
The 400MW Mt Fyans Wind Farm near Mortlake is the third largest wind farm to be approved by the Victorian Government in a decade.
The project is going to be built within the South-West Renewable Energy Zone, comprising 81 wind turbines and an 18-kilometre overhead powerline connecting to the Mortlake substation.
Mt Fyans Wind Farm is expected to create more than 100 jobs during its construction and about 10 full-time local jobs once operational.
This project referred to a Planning Panel for consideration and included wide-ranging consultation with residents as well as community groups and government agencies. The panel recommended that the project could proceed with construction, with measures taken to protect local biodiversity, including bats and brolgas.
“We’re making good decisions faster that will still protect the local environment, while providing Victorian households with cheaper energy,” Minister for Planning Sonya Kilkenny said.
“The Mt Fyans Wind Farm will not only provide cheaper and reliable energy for hundreds of thousands of Victorians – it’ll also provide a major boost to the economy of South-West Victoria,” Minister for Energy and Resources Lily D’Ambrosio said.
Wind is the biggest contributor to renewable energy generation in the State, with about 21 per cent of Victoria’s monthly electricity generation coming from wind farms in the first half of this year.
The South-West Renewable Energy Zone is one of the six areas identified to be most suitable to host new renewable energy generation across Victoria through the Victorian Transmission Plan.
To date, the State has met every renewable energy target it has set and is well on the way to meeting the next ones of 65 per cent renewable energy generation by 2030 and 95 per cent by 2035.
Delivering more renewable energy projects will help provide a more secure source of cheap clean electricity for homes, businesses and industry across Victoria while boosting employment opportunities – with the State’s energy transition by 2040 requiring about 67,000 jobs.
Due to the State’s investment in renewables, Victorians continue to benefit from some of the lowest energy prices in Australia.
“Renewable energy is the cheapest form of new build energy available – it helps bring down power prices and creates great new jobs for locals,” Member for South West Victoria Jacinta Ermacora said.
Source: Premier of Victoria – Media Centre; Mt Fyans Wind Farm; Yahoo! Finance