The project
The Hawkesdale Wind Farm site is located in South-Western Victoria near the township of Hawkesdale, 30km north-west of Warrnambool, and 175km west of Geelong, within the Moyne Shire Local Government Area.
The project covers an area of approximately 2,280 ha, where the current land use is primarily agricultural activities including grazing of sheep and cattle.
The windfarm comprises 23 turbines with a total output of approximately 97MW. It will connect to the grid via a 132kV overhead transmission circuit to the existing 500kV Tarrone Terminal Station.
Background
The Hawkesdale Wind Farm was granted development consent by the Minister for Planning in 2008 for up to 31 wind turbines and associated infrastructure.
In 2010, a Secondary Consent Application was lodged with Department of Planning and Community Development (DPCD) to slightly increase the size of the turbines. Consent to amend the turbines dimensional specifications was granted by DPCD.
In 2017, the company applied to amend the development consent to increase the size of the turbines to a blade tip height of up to 180m, whilst at the same time reducing the number of turbines from the original 31 down to 26. This second amendment was approved in December 2017.
An extension of time to complete the development under the Planning Permit until 2023, was later requested and granted by the Minister for Planning in November 2020.
In December 2020, a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) was secured with a corporate off–taker. The contract awarded is a 15 year PPA for the energy equivalent of 97 MW capacity.
A further application to amend the current planning permit was lodged with the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) and was endorsed October 20, 2022. This application reduced the number of turbines from 26 to 23 and did not deal with any substantial modifications to the 2017 Planning Permit amendment. It is primarily related to the specific turbine model chosen, and minor adjustments to wind turbine locations and internal access roads, within the allowances of the Planning Permit, and to reflect the final iteration of the detail design.
The final amended development permit and associated documents will be available in the Relevant Documentation section on this page.
Current status
- Construction commenced January 9, 2023.
- Management plans required for construction endorsed.
- Construction of access tracks and site compound commenced.
- All plans and permits for the transmission line endorsed.
- Construction of the transmission line commenced in September 2023.
Layout
The project is comprised of 23 turbines covering an area of approximately 2,280 ha in Moyne Shire Council.
3D simulation
View a 3D Simulation of the Hawkesdale Wind Farm using Google Earth.
Commitments
Community engagement and benefit sharing
GPG strives to become a long-term neighbour and partner with communities in the vicinity of our projects. The Community Engagement and Benefit Sharing Plan associated with the project is a long term commitment to deliver positive social outcomes to the local community. This plan sponsors initiatives during the Construction and Operation phases of the project that deliver benefits to the community.
Local economic development
As part of the commitments associated with the Hawkesdale Wind Farm, the project will contribute to the local economic development by:
- creating new job opportunities and retaining existing jobs;
- giving priority, when possible, to local content by using local contractors, suppliers and manufacturers for the provision of a large share of the goods, equipment and services necessary for the project;
Relevant Documentation
Planning permits
All the permits associated with the project are available here.
Associated documents
All the endorsed plans and programs required in the planning permits are available here.
Committee minutes
The minutes of all the meetings held by the Community Engagement Committee are available at the Moyne Shire Council website.
Progress
Sustainability
News
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Community
Detailed information about the Community Engagement and Benefit Sharing Plan associated to the project during the Construction and Operation phases can be found here.
FaqsFind answers to your frequently asked questions about permitting, noise, shadow flicker, local employment and other questions here.