Deputy Premier kills another renewable energy project

The Queensland Conservation Council has today raised serious concerns about the Crisafulli Government’s continued attacks on climate action and renewable energy, as the Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie axed another wind project.

The Forest Wind farm is proposed in a pine plantation between Gympie and Maryborough. The Deputy Premier said the Government would repeal the Forest Wind Farm Development Act 2020, effectively stopping the project from proceeding.

According to the conservation council, a pine plantation is a much more appropriate site for a wind farm than untouched remnant vegetation.

Queensland Conservation Council Director Dave Copeman said

We want to see renewable energy projects built in the right locations where there is minimal impact on the environment. Pine plantations are key areas we should look to build projects because the local biodiversity has already been severely impacted.

The Crisafulli Government’s move to prematurely axe Forest Wind is just another indication that they’re putting ideology over the practical need to build renewable energy to get down emissions and power bills.

We’ve just lost huge swathes of the Great Barrier Reef after another devastating summer of coral bleaching caused by high water temperatures. If the Crisafulli Government is serious about protecting Queensland's environment they need to be building renewable energy in the right places – not randomly axing projects at the whim of the Deputy Premier.

It’s important that all renewable projects are rigorously assessed for their environmental and community impact, but since being elected, the Crisafulli Government hasn’t actually meaningfully improved the environmental assessments of renewable energy projects.

They talk about the environment and use it as a cover to kill renewable energy projects and further fuel climate change.

The State’s coal-fired power stations broke down a staggering 78 times over the last summer period. We actually need the Government to be responsible and build replacement renewable energy and storage if we’re going to keep the lights on and manage power prices.

The Queensland Conservation Council is urging all wind farm developers to install technology that prevents bird and bat collisions by shutting down turbines when sensors indicate nearby avian activity. This technology has been shown to significantly reduce fatalities.

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