Pacific Hydro alters plans for Australian wind farm

Australian renewable energy company Pacific Hydro has unveiled an updated proposal for the layout of the Keyneton wind farm to be located in the eastern Mt Lofty Ranges in Australia.

Pacific Hydro held several community consultations in the area in June and September and has concluded that the number of turbines to be installed should be reduced to 42, comprising 22 in the north and 20 in the south.

The initial proposal in 2009 had 60 turbines and the layout presented at the public consultation sessions earlier this year had 57 turbines.

Pacific Hydro general manager Lane Crockett said: "We have applied community and other stakeholder feedback in making adjustments to the proposed layout as well as being informed by formal flora and fauna assessments, landscape visual assessments and cultural heritage surveys."

"This new layout with 42 turbines reflects our responsible approach to the environmental assessment and community consultation process and we now look forward to taking the revised project forward," added Crockett.

The company is consulting further with the Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure, Mid Murray and Barossa Councils to confirm suitable routes for over-dimensional vehicles, following concern about the potential use of the Angaston-Sedan Road between Angaston and Keyneton.

Once the proposed development is approved, the local communities are set to benefit from a sustainable communities fund which will operate for the life of the wind farm.

The funding will provide annual grants for local sustainable community projects and programmes.

The initial proposal in 2009 had 60 turbines and the layout presented at the public consultation sessions earlier in 2011 had 57 turbines.

The earlier proposal planned to have an installed capacity of 130MW and which will be able to provide enough electricity to power the equivalent of around 51,000 homes a year.

The farm was expected to displace 359,000 tons of greenhouse gases a year.

Caption: Renewable energy company Pacific Hydro proposes new layout for Keyneton wind farm in Australia.