Planning Applications Summary

Overview

To gain approval to build the Delburn wind farm the project requires planning permits under the provisions of the Planning and Environment Act 1987.

The Minister for Planning is the responsible authority for assessing and determining if a planning permit should be issued for Renewable Energy Facilities with an installed capacity of 1 megawatt or greater and for Utility Installations used to store, transmit or distribute electricity generated by a renewable energy facility with an installed capacity of 1 megawatt or greater.

The Project sought approval for the following components in total across four planning permit applications:

33 wind turbines with a maximum height of 250 metres above foundation level (to the blade tip), a maximum rotor diameter of 180 metres, a lower tip sweep of not less than 40 metres above foundation level;
three permanent anemometers (or wind monitoring masts) and one ‘development’ anemometer;
an operations and maintenance building;
a battery energy storage system facility (50 MW, 200 MWh in capacity);
approximately 41 kilometres of site access tracks comprising 30 kilometres of existing forestry access tracks to be upgraded and 11 kilometres of new tracks;
approximately 120 kilometres of underground 33 kV electrical reticulation and fibre optic cabling connecting the wind turbines to the substation;
two visitor information and viewing areas for passing traffic to park and view the turbines;
major upgrade to one intersection off the Strzelecki Highway (Creamery Rd);
minor upgrades to local roads, including minor hard standing at two intersections off the Strzelecki Highway (Golden Gully Rd, Smiths Rd);
business identification signage; and
14.001 hectares of native vegetation clearance.

As the project straddles three municipal council areas; Latrobe, Baw Baw and South Gippsland, three separate planning permits are required for the development of a Wind Energy Facility. The planning permit application report for the Delburn Wind Farm addresses the requirements of all three permit applications in a single document.

The application for a battery energy storage system facility was not approved by the Planning Minister.

Questions?

Contact our team if you have any questions about the project.

Wind Energy Facility

The geographic breakdown of the works required for the Wind Energy Facility is set out below:

Latrobe (PA2001063)

28 wind turbines;
operations and maintenance facility;
visitor information areas;
temporary construction compounds;
temporary concrete batching plants;
access tracks (both upgrades to existing tracks and new tracks);
underground cabling between turbines;
two anemometers of which one is intended to be permanent;
one major and two minor intersection upgrades and local road upgrades;
business identification signage; and
10.591 hectares of native vegetation clearance.

South Gippsland (PA2001066)

four wind turbines;
access tracks (both upgrades to existing tracks and new tracks);
underground cabling between turbines;
one permanent anemometer; and
1.670 hectares of native vegetation clearance.

Baw Baw (PA2001064)

one wind turbine;
access tracks (both upgrades to existing tracks and new tracks);
underground cabling between turbines;
one permanent anemometer; and
0.083 of hectares native vegetation clearance.

Terminal Station

A fourth permit is required for a Utility Facility (the terminal station) to allow connection to the Hazelwood to Rowville 220 kV line at the northern end of the site located in Latrobe.

Latrobe (PA2001065)

transmission line tie in works;
220 kV switchyard;
33/220 kV substation;
local road upgrades; and
up to 1.657 of hectares native vegetation clearance.

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