The proposed Crows Nest Wind Farm, will be located in south-eastern Queensland, 40 kilometres north of Toowoomba. It will have an installed generating capacity of 124 MW and will produce enough electricity for some 47,000 homes. It is expected that the wind farm will create 460 manufacturing and construction jobs and a further 15 full time maintenance jobs in Crows Nest. The Crows Nest location on the western edge of the Darling Downs, offers some of the best average wind speeds available in Queensland, and the project will provide additional security of electricity supply in this fast growing area.^[1]

[edit] Community opposition

Residents of Crows Nest Shire formed a "No Wind Farm" group which objected to the proposal. The activists contended that turbine blades would cause light flicker as they passed the sun, turbines would cause noise, devalue land, be a detriment to fauna and visual appeal of the area and were contrary to the council's town plan. They also argued the green credentials of wind farms were a myth because large amounts of coal-fired energy was needed to power up generators to full capacity after a drop in wind speed. After drawn-out legal proceedings and mediation between the parties, the objections were progressively dropped.^[2]

[edit] See also

Energy portal

Queensland portal

• List of active power stations in Queensland

[edit] References

1. ^ Crows Nest Wind Farm receives Development Consent
2. ^ Opponents vow to fight wind farm The Chronicle, Dec 14, 2006

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