BY: Cameron Love (Excerpt: Cenrec.com.au article “Flyers Creek Wind Farm wins Planning Approval“)
Central NSW Renewable Energy Cooperative (CENREC) Monday 17 March welcomed the approval of the Flyers Creek Wind Farm.
Chair of CENREC Dr Patrick Bradbery said he was delighted that the Planning Assessment Commission had followed the approval from NSW Planning and Infrastructure and delivered its planning determination in favour of construction of the 42 turbine wind farm just west of Blayney.
“It is hoped the wind farm will now go ahead and suffer no further delay. The last thing we need now is any weakening of the national Renewable Energy Target just as large scale wind projects are about to reach implementation. The project represents an investment of over $195 million for this region.
“Flyers Creek Wind Farm will be the first opportunity in Australia for a local community to own a share of a commercially operated wind farm,” Dr Bradbery said.
“The CENREC model of cooperative ownership of a regional power resource means our community is poised to take up a share in this significant development.
“The benefits flowing to the region from community ownership of a wind farm turbine will be threefold economic, social and environmental,” said the CENREC Chair.
CENREC has been formed to purchase one turbine within the development. The turbine is expected to be 3MW in size and sufficient to power 1300 homes. This means proceeds from almost 10% of the electricity used in residences of a town the size of Bathurst or Orange will be coming from a renewable source and will stay within the local economy.