The Project
The Stockyard Hill Wind Farm is a proposed wind energy project located approximately 35 km west of Ballarat in Victoria’s central highlands.
The planning application for the project submitted to the Minister for Planning originally consisted of 242 wind turbines centred around Stockyard Hill, the boundary of which extends to five kilometres south of Beaufort and approximately four kilometres north of Skipton.
In response to a number of issues raised during the panel hearing process, 30 turbines have been removed from the original proposal. The proposal that the Panel is now considering consists of 212 wind turbines.
Long-term forecasts estimate the proposed project will deliver approximately 1,667.5 gigawatt hours (GWh) of renewable electricity into the national grid each year. That’s equivalent to generating electricity for more than 238,000 average homes or taking more than 385,000 cars off the road per year, based on a long term average forecast.
The number of houses powered is based on an estimated average usage of 7 MWh p.a. and an annual expected generation of approximately 1,667.5 GWh of electricity per year (based on a long term average forecast with a specification of 2MW turbines). The number of cars taken off the road is calculated based on a car with a petrol engine producing approximately 4.33 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year. The amount of Avoided Carbon Dioxide emissions (t CO2e p.a.) = Expected Output (MWh) x 1.0 t C02e /MWh.
The project is expected to deliver significant economic benefits including the creation of ongoing jobs, rates to the local government, rent to participating landowners and a community fund.
The proposed wind farm will connect to the national electricity grid via the transmission line near Lismore.
Detailed site investigations have been undertaken over the past few years including ecological, heritage, visual, noise and socio-economic, which have formed the basis of the planning application for the project.
The planning panel hearings for the planning applications for the Stockyard Hill Wind Farm have now concluded. The Panel appointed to assess the applications is currently preparing its report and recommendations on the project to the Minister for Planning.
Site Location Plan click to enlarge
Indicative Site Layout Plan (updated) click to enlarge
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- The panel hearings for the Stockyard Hill Wind Farm concluded on 26 May. The Panel is currently preparing its report, including recommendations on the project, to the Minister.
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