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PAGE 16
The Great Southern
Star
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2010
Real estate boom
Page 3.
Sports grant
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PUBLISHED TUESDAY 52 PAGES
Page 13.
Cricket hots up
Sport.
Height stoush Wind farm increase kept from public By Bert van Bedaf A MASSIVE 25-metre increase in the height of the Bald Hills wind farm towers was kept from the public by the State Government, as well as from South Gippsland Shire Councillors by council officers and the Mayor.
Grow your own BENA’S Jack Glasgow was a deserving winner for his collection of vegetables at the Korumburra show on Saturday. A couple of thousand people took advantage of the splendid summer weather to enjoy a huge variety of activities and fun. See page 14 for more.
The information only emerged last Friday, when rumours of the shock height change began circulating among neighbouring objectors. The State Government secretly allowed wind farm operator Mitsui and Co (Aust) Ltd to increase the height of its Bald Hills towers to 135 metres last December by amending the existing permit, issued for 110-metre towers in August 2004. In comparison the Toora wind towers are around 100 metres high. The Planning Minister Justin Madden said the request was approved “in order that current best practice and new turbine technologies could be adopted and deployed. An additional 15 per cent electrical generation efficiency can be derived from the project through the increase in turbine height”. As a consequence, the site will now need floodlights and tower lighting to comply with Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) regulations, similar to those at Waubra, Victoria’s largest wind facility near Ballarat with 128 towers at 135 metres. Lights around Waubra are red flashing of medium intensity and synchronised, so that all safety lights flash simultaneously. They have a ‘flash character’ of 20 flashes per minute (every three seconds).
Tarwin Lower farmer and long-standing objector to the Bald Hills facility, Don Fairbrother said Mitsui and Co, which is the parent company of Bald Hills Wind Farm Pty Ltd, and the Planning Minister Justin Madden, had walked over the community. “They did not ask for any submissions from the community,” Mr Fairbrother said. “We were not informed (of the change) by the company or the government. This sort of arrogance needs to be checked.” At a community meeting last weekend, people were “in total disbelief”. “We had about 30 people at the (Bald Hills) wetlands. People were pretty upset and angry,” Mr Fairbrother said. Continued on page 7.
Toora towers: The Toora towers are about 100 metres – at least 25-35 metres lower than what the Bald Hills towers may be.