General News
10 August, 2022
Have your say on Hexham Wind Farm
ENVIRONMENTAL assessment for the proposed Hexham Wind Farm is now open for public comment under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).
ENVIRONMENTAL assessment for the proposed Hexham Wind Farm is now open for public comment under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).
The act provides a legal framework to protect and manage flora, fauna and ecological communities and heritage places, with an opportunity for members of the public to view and provide feedback on the project’s management and mitigation strategies.
The project’s submission opened from last Wednesday, and will remain open for comment until Wednesday, August 17.
The report notes Caramut (47 dwellings), Hexham (22 dwellings) and Ellerslie (17 dwellings) are located approximately four kilometres, three kilometres and three kilometres respectively from the project site.
The report also noted flora and fauna, which have the potential to be impacted by the development, includes threatened species in the area.
Mitigation measures and strategies have been included for four species of flora listed under the EPBC Act and noted as potentially occurring in the area, along with seven species of fauna and a further five considered as having the potential to occur at the project site.
The proposed site, located three kilometres north-east of Hexham and 15 kilometres west of Mortlake, covers 16,000 hectares of land.
The project comprises up to 108 wind turbines with a maximum blade tip height of 250 metres and a maximum rotor diameter of 190 metres.
The project will also include 135 kilometres of underground cabling and 40 kilometres of overhead powerlines connecting to a new on-site terminal station, five permanent wind monitoring masts, each up to a height of 170 metres, and an on-site battery energy storage system (BESS).
Hexham Wind Farm is expected to generate approximately 2400 gigawatt hours of electricity per annum once complete.
The project is estimated to be operational from June 2 in 2025, with a 25-year project lifespan.
To view the published information on the project or to make a comment visit the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water EPBC Act public portal at
https://epbcpublicportal.awe.gov.au/all-referrals/ and select Hexham Wind Farm.