Cherry Tree Wind Farm approved

The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal has approved Infigen Energy’s Cherry Tree Wind Farm, which will be located near Seymour, north of Melbourne. The decision has been welcomed by Clean Energy Council Chief Executive David Green.

The 16-turbine wind farm is a significant economic opportunity for the Seymour region, providing jobs and investment for local businesses, hotels and other service providers, Green said.

“The Cherry Tree Wind Farm will provide jobs for approximately 90 people during construction, and research by SKM shows that these people spend $25,000 each year on average in the local area - a total of more than $2 million,” said Green.

“In addition, it will provide four jobs during operation as well as enough clean energy to power the equivalent of 27,500 homes.”

In making its decision, the tribunal relied on advice from the NSW and Victorian health departments, which stated that noise below the hearing threshold cannot affect people’s health.

“While there is mounting evidence that wind farms cannot directly cause health problems, the industry recognises the need to make communication and community engagement a high priority when building a wind farm,” Green said.

“This is why we developed a community expectations guide for those living near wind farm developments and best practice guidelines for community engagement with the help of our members.”

The Clean Energy Council guides are available here.