Queensland Pauses All New Wind Farm Developments, Introduces Tougher Rules for Approval

Wind turbines in Albany, Western Australia, on Feb. 18, 2024. Susan Mortimer/The Epoch Times

All new wind farm developments in the state of Queensland have been put on hold and will need to meet tougher criteria to get approval.

The new rule, which comes into play on Feb. 3, means all pending wind turbine developments must go through “compulsory public consultation” with local councils and communities in the area.

“These changes are the first step to fixing Labor’s failed laws which treated regional communities like second class citizens,” said Deputy Premier and Minister for Infrastructure Jarrod Bleijie in a statement.

“For nearly a decade, the previous Labor government failed to consult with Queenslanders on major renewable projects and that’s why the LNP government was determined to deliver a voice for local communities.”

The LNP has also introduced additional rules for approvals.

New third party appeal rights have been introduced for the public to challenge prospective projects.

Further, the assessment benchmarks (State Code 23) for an approval have also been expanded.

These include no “significant loss of high quality agricultural land,” that accommodation for wind farm workers do not “adversely impact surrounding areas,” that the impact of construction on surrounding infrastructure is mitigated, and that local communities are not negatively impacted.

Further, the removal and decommissioning of a wind farm is the “sole responsibility of the operator” and not private land owners, and that the environment is rehabilitated after a project is complete.

Land clearing for the Clarke Creek wind turbine farm in central Queeensland. Courtesy of Steven Nowakowski

Several of these new benchmarks echo ongoing concerns about wind turbine developments.

The previous energy infrastructure commissioner, Andrew Dyer, had warned about “questionable agreements” on whether landowners or wind farm companies were responsible for taking down old wind turbines.

“It’s up to the landlord to make sure that they have ... a really good contract in place and you get the appropriate bond set-ups to cover the costs,” he told a Senate Estimates hearing on May 23, 2023.

Just this year, the LNP government paused the Greenleaf Renewables and Brookfield-backed Moonlight Range Wind Farm in the Rockhampton region for more community feedback amid concerns the projects could impact wildlife.

Clean Energy Council Says Consultation Lacking

Australia’s peak renewables body, the Clean Energy Council, says it welcomes more transparency in the sector, but criticised the Queensland LNP government for not holding consultations with renewable companies on the new standards.

“The clean energy sector delivers $68 billion for regional Australia,” the Clean Energy Council said in a statement.

“Queensland leads the rest of the country in attracting investment, with benefits to farmers and local economies.”

Renewables currently account for 39.4 percent of Australia’s total electricity capacity.

“We fully support the move to more open and collaborative community engagement and standardised impact assessments for new renewable energy projects,” the Council said.

“However, we are deeply concerned by the lack of consultation with industry by the Crisafulli government on immediately introducing impact assessments for new and already approved projects.