NEW WEBSITE
The new Hawkesdale Wind Farm project specific website is now live and can be found at: https://hawkesdalewindfarm.globalpower-generation.com.au/
About the project
The Hawkesdale Wind Farm site is located in South-Western Victoria within 5km south-east of Hawkesdale township, 30km north-west of Warrnambool, and 175km west of Geelong, within the Moyne Shire Local Government Area.
The project covers an area of approximately 2,280 ha, where the current land use is primarily agricultural activities including grazing of sheep and cattle.
When completed, the windfarm will comprise 23 turbines with a total output of approximately 96MW. It will connect to the grid via a 132kV overhead transmission circuit to the existing 500kV Tarrone Terminal Station.
Planning History
The Hawkesdale Wind Farm was granted development consent by the Minister for Planning in 2008 for up to 31 wind turbines and associated infrastructure. In 2010 a Secondary Consent Application was lodged with Department of Planning and Community Development (DPCD) slightly increase the size of the turbines (Mod-1). Approval was granted by DPCD that year.
In 2017, the company applied to amend the development consent to increase the size of the turbines to a blade tip height of up to 180m (Mod 2), whilst at the same time reducing the number of turbines from the original 31 down to 26. The Mod-2 amendment was approved on 21st December 2017.
Since then, the company further reduced the number of turbines for construction to 23.
Mod-2 documents, including the panel assessment report and amended development permit, are available in the “Project Documents” folder on this page.
What’s happening now?
GPGA has recently received an extension for the Hawkesdale Wind Farm planning permit until 2023 and is currently reviewing and updating project management plans.
Negotiations with a corporate off-taker to purchase the energy produced by the wind farm has been successful.
Project information is being updated for distribution within Hawkesdale and wider communities, and to invite feedback and involvement regarding community engagement and benefit sharing programs.
Current activities in 2021 include:
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- Pre-Construction geotechnical Investigations
- Construction Planning
- Submitting and Meeting Pre-construction Conditions of the Permit
An application to amend the planning permit (link to application) has been lodged with the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP). The public notice which includes a summary of what the amendment is seeking approval for, in addition to information on where the application can be viewed and how a submission to the Minister for Planning can be made, can be downloaded here.
