Unlike the $220 million Bald Hills wind farm blocked by Senator Campbell, the Bo Peep wind project had been cleared by the federal Department of Environment and Heritage. But local residents had intensified their opposition to the wind farm, holding a well-attended public meeting on Tuesday. Residents said there were too many houses located near the turbines. About 11 houses were within a lkm radius of the site and 65 dwellings within 2km, reported The Australian, (4/8/2006), p.7.
Location decisons variable: Wind Power managing director Stephen Buckle said research by the company showed the site was better suited to three or four turbines rather than 14. Coastal Guardians spokesman Tim Le Boy questioned the company’s reasons for dropping the Bo Peep project. "At Wonthaggi, they have happily put turbines within 500 or 600m of the nearest resident," he said. "I don’t accept their logic that it is going to become a residential area because as the wind industry keeps telling us, these things are quieter than your average library, people love living next to them and they don’t devalue properties."
Eagle death: Meanwhile, bird experts said three critically endangered Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagles had been killed by wind turbines in the state’s northwest. Birds Tasmania on 3 August said the latest casualty was put down by a Smithton vet on Wednesday after striking turbines at the Woolnorth wind farm. The wind farm’s owner, Roaring 40s Renewable Energy Pty Ltd, confirmed an eagle found at the property on Tasmania’s northwest tip had been destroyed.
The Australian, 4/8/2006, p. 7
Source: Erisk Net