OSMI Australia submitted its applications for approval to build the Delburn Wind Farm to the Minister for Planning in December 2020. The Department of Environment Land Water and Planning (DELWP) has now required OSMI to formally advise the community of these applications.  Formal notices have been posted to all landowners and residents within 5km of the project boundary and published in the local papers, as directed by the department.

The Delburn Wind Farm project is a proposal to construct a wind energy facility with thirty-three (33) turbines and associated infrastructure in the Strzelecki Ranges, to the south of the Latrobe Valley. The Project Site has a total area of 4,778 hectares and crosses into three different Local Government Areas of Latrobe City, South Gippsland Shire and Baw Baw Shire.

The Project requires a Planning Permit under the provisions of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 within the Latrobe, South Gippsland and Baw Baw Planning Schemes.

The Minister for Planning is the Responsible Authority for assessing and determining this planning permit application pursuant to Clause 72.01 within each Planning Scheme (as it is a Renewable Energy Facility 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).

Overall, the wind farm will consist of the following components:

• thirty-three (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 and adjacent hard stand areas;
• three permanent anemometers (or wind monitoring masts) and one ‘development’ anemometer;
• an operations and maintenance building;
• a battery energy storage system facility;
• 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 including cable junction boxes (located above or below ground level);
• two (2) 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 approximately 4.5 kilometres of local roads, including minor hard standing at two intersections off the Strzelecki Highway (Golden Gully Rd, Smiths Rd);
• business identification signage; and
• 12.344 hectares of native vegetation clearance.

The site is located across three Local Government Areas so three separate planning permit applications in each of Latrobe City (PA2001063), Baw Baw (PA2001064) and South Gippsland (PA2001066) are required for the wind farm. The Delburn Wind Farm Planning Permit Application Report addresses the requirements of all three permit applications in a single document.

A separate planning permit application has been prepared for the proposed terminal station within the Latrobe City (PA2001065). The terminal station is required to connect the wind farm into the existing Hazelwood to Rowville 220kV transmission line. This permit application is covered by a standalone permit application report.

The period for formal public comment on the proposal is open between 19 July and 18 August 2021. People who wish to make a submission in relation to the proposal are encouraged to go to https://www.planning.vic.gov.au/panels-and-committees/browse-panels-and-committees/projects/delburn-wind-farm where they will be able view project information.

Anyone who makes a submission on the proposal will be asked if they wish to be heard at the public panel hearing that is scheduled for two weeks commencing on 18 October 2021. Further details in relation to this process will be published closer to the date.

Copies of the application documents are also available for review at the head offices of the Latrobe City Council, Baw Baw and South Gippsland Shire Councils, DELWP head office at 8 Nicholson St, East Melbourne, in OSMI’s Mirboo North Office at 52 Ridgway and online via our website.

For people who would like to understand how the wind farm would look in the landscape, OSMI will have Virtual Reality headsets in their Mirboo North Office at 52 Ridgway during the exhibition period.  While the project is on exhibition, the office will be open 9am – 7pm Monday, 9am – 5pm Tuesday to Friday and Saturday morning from 9am – 12noon, or by appointment.

If you wish to discuss any part of the application or make an appointment to review the documents outside published opening hours, please contact OSMI via [email protected], call on 1800 OSMIAU.