NW Tasmania Repowering
Woolnorth Renewables is investigating the repowering of its Bluff Point and Studland Bay Wind Farms in far North-West Tasmania, adding decades to their operational life.
About the project
Repowering will involve replacing the existing turbines (and associated infrastructure) with new, more efficient turbines with the overall benefit of extending the working life of these wind farms. An additional benefit will be an increase in the amount of energy the wind farms can generate, and with fewer turbines.
It is also expected that some changes will need to be made to the existing transmission line that connects the current wind farms to TasNetworks electrical substation in Smithton. These changes will be determined as the project matures.
Where are we at?
The investigation is in its early stages. The project has commenced the process of new environmental approvals through the submission of a Notice of Intent with the Tasmanian Environment Protect Authority and a Referral under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) with the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.
Woolnorth is expecting the Tasmanian Environment Protection Authority to release the draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) Guidelines in late October/early November. These guidelines will outline all the requirements of the EIS, including the future studies to be completed. The EIS for the project will take several years to compile.
The Woolnorth team are planning a range of activities to inform the community, stakeholders and neighbours about the project and these opportunities will be made available later in 2024/ early 2025 once the EIS guidelines have been released.
Click here to read more about our existing wind farms, Bluff Point and Studland Bay: