Golden Plains Wind Farm

Golden Plains Wind Farm is the largest approved wind farm in Victoria and one of the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. It replaces about one third of the generating capacity of the recently closed Hazelwood Coal-fired Power Station.

Nature Advisory helped West Wind to respond to requirements under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act), Victorian Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (FFG Act), as well as local planning permit requirements for the removal of native vegetation.

What is involved

• Advice on key biodiversity issues on the site and how to approach these with the regulators (Commonwealth and State)
• Biodiversity overview assessment and early discussions on the overall layout
• Scoping and implementation of detailed flora, fauna and native vegetation surveys, in accordance with required survey methods and standards including:
   
  • Native Vegetation Quality Assessment (habitat hectare)
  • Targeted surveys for threatened flora species
  • Striped Legless Lizard surveys
  • Bird and bat utilisation surveys
  • Brolga breeding and flocking surveys
• Brolga collision risk modelling of wind farm layout options
• Advising on measures to avoid and minimise impacts on biodiversity, such as reducing the removal of native vegetation (by over 60%) and the establishment of turbine-free buffers around threatened Brolga breeding wetlands
• Preparation of key technical reports to accompany a state Environment Effects Statement (EES) for the project
• Presentation and discussions to decision-makers EES ‘Technical Reference Group’ meetings
• Presentation of findings to the Planning Panel that advised the Victorian Minister for Planning on the final decision, including responding to the panel’s request to evaluate the impacts of a number of wind farm layout options
• Input to discussions on draft approval conditions at Commonwealth and State levels
• Post-approval, preparation of pre-construction Environmental Management Plans:
  
  
  • Brolga Monitoring and Compensation Plan
  • Bat and Avifauna Management Plan
  • Native Vegetation Management Plan
  • Flora and Fauna Management Plan
  • Native Vegetation Quality Assessment (habitat hectare)
• Ongoing advice on design modifications in response to ecological constraints and permit conditions.

Outcome

Nature Advisory’s support has been crucial to the development of the Golden Plains Wind Farm and the team continues to assist with many aspects of the ongoing project. Overall, the project will generate over 3500 GWh per annum of electricity, enough to power more than 500,000 homes –and prevent more than 3.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide from being emitted to the atmosphere each year.