Vol. 18 No. 25
FREE PUBLICATION
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
FUNNY FACE! Little Imogen Hedt shapes up for a facepainting experience with Shimmer and Shine’s Sarah White during the opening of Nhill Pharmacy’s new shop in Victoria Street. Festivities at the opening included a MIXX FM and 3WM live broadcast and a variety of entertainment and children’s activities. Meg Sampson provided musical entertainment while children busied themselves with attractions such as a jumping castle. Hindmarsh Shire Council deputy mayor Wendy Robins cut a ribbon to officially open the store and Nhill Lions Club members cooked a barbecue lunch. Picture: JESS KELLER
Farm powers ahead I
BY DEAN LAWSON
nvestment from an international developer tapping into Wimmera and Grampians wind power is set to climb to more than $1-billion as focus for the next renewable power plant in the region turns to the Kalkee plains north of Horsham. Construction of the $450-million Ararat Wind Farm has started, providing industry confidence and paving the way for RES Australia to push on with its Murra Warra project. Project manager Kevin Garthwaite said he was looking forward to a formal announcement about the development early in the new year and for a planning-permit application to be lodged by mid 2016.
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He said it would then most likely take between 18 months to two years before the start of construction. The 32-square-kilometre Murra Warra wind farm is projected to have up to 100 windmills on 22 properties and cost between $650-million and $700-million to build. It will have the potential to produce enough electricity to power a large provincial city. The project has been on the drawing board for more than 12 months but, similar to the Ararat project, stalled during debate over the future of the Federal Government’s Renewable Energy Target subsidy scheme. But the scheme again has bipartisan political support. “We’re working quite diligently and are keen to discuss the project in more
detail with the community,” Mr Garthwaite said. “The market is steadily picking up and showing signs of stability and we’re looking to push ahead with our Australian projects. “What really helps now is the new vibe under the new Prime Minister. The industry now feels less under attack and there is less undermining of confidence.”
news. With the Murra Warra project we’ve been dealing with landholders all the way through the process,” he said. “We’re also working closely with Horsham Rural City and Yarriambiack Shire councils.” Murra Warra, between Horsham and Warracknabeal, is home to prime broadacre cropping country but like much of the Wimmera has been subject to dry conditions. As well as being ideal for farming, research has shown the landscape ideal for harvesting wind. Rental agreements involving wind turbines will also provide an alternative income for many of the landholders in the area. Wind farm construction would likely provide employment for a 250-strong
Ararat paves way
Mr Garthwaite agreed confirmation of work starting on construction of Ararat Wind Farm had helped spur on the Murra Warra development proposal. “We’ve been working on the same plan we’ve had all along and the Ararat project has certainly been good
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workforce. Day-to-day operation would involve a staff of 15. Ararat Wind Farm, north-east of Ararat, will have 75 turbines, 70 in the Ararat municipality and five in Northern Grampians Shire. Other developers are also exploring or already plan to pursue wind farms in the region. Enerfin Energy Company of Australia plans to build a 63-turbine wind farm near Great Western. In March, Northern Grampians council granted a permit, guided by a list of conditions, for Enerfin to build the farm in Joel Joel, Joel South, Bulgana and Great Western districts. Pacific Hydro’s Challicum Hills wind farm east of Ararat, featuring 35 wind turbines, has been operating since 2003.
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