Gelliondale Wind Farm has taken another major step towards construction. Synergy Wind has submitted a revised and updated planning application under the Victorian Government’s new assessment pathway.
Formal lodgement is underway and a public notice period will provide further opportunity for community members to make submissions.
The Project
- Thirteen wind turbine generators with rotor diameters of up to 164 metres with maximum tip height of 210 metres above ground level
- 40MW battery energy storage system (BESS).
- Capacity to power around 37,000 residences and business operations throughout Gippsland with clean energy for the next 35 years enhancing reliability of local power supply.
- Situated approximately seven kilometres southwest of Yarram, three kilometres west of Alberton and eight kilometres east of Welshpool.
The Background
In 2023, Synergy Wind submitted an initial permit application. The Victorian Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) subsequently requested further information be added to the various ecological assessment reports to assist the approval process.
Simultaneously the Commonwealth Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) requested similar detailed information as part of their separate environmental assessment, which requires the creation of a comprehensive Public Environment Report (PER).
As a result, Synergy Wind requested to pause the State application during 2024 to allow additional surveys and assessments be undertaken to satisfy the evolving State requirements and continue the studies required for the PER.
During this time the Victorian government released a policy statement (‘A Better Approach to Managing Biodiversity Impacts of Renewable Energy Projects’) which implemented an improved planning assessment process for eligible renewable energy projects.
As a result, along with the development of an updated ecological assessment report, the planning permit application for Gelliondale Wind Farm has been resubmitted under this new assessment pathway.
It contains all the additional information required by the Victorian government as well as relevant results for assessments undertaken for the PER, which is scheduled to be completed by September, when it will be reviewed by DCCEEW prior to release for community input.