A wind farm project slated for the Mid-Western Region and Wellington Shire has returned to the drawing board.
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The Uungula project, which includes a projected 249 turbines between Wellington, Mudgee and Gulgong, north of Lake Burrandong, will be looked at again by European company Wind Prospect CWP.
Head of development Ed Mounsey, who is also in charge of the Crudine Ridge Wind Farm project 40km west of Mudgee, said the Uungula farm had been on hold because of the political situation in Australia.
But now its prospects look strong.
“We will be looking at the Environmental Impact Assessment in 2016,” Mr Mounsey said.
“The project would 50/50 in the Wellington and Mid-Western Regional Council areas.
“It is in sizeable areas, in remote locations, not near dwellings.”
Wind Prospect says jobs will be available for locals.
“There are natural benefits for all parties to use local sub-contractors,” Mr Mounsey said.
“It makes total sense to use people who have knowledge of the area and who have people employed for the project.
“In operation, the Windfarm would also need about 25 people. The construction phase will employ a few hundred.
“It’s a rule of thumb in the these types of projects for one person to every 10 turbines so we’d have a strong workforce out there.”
The Uungala project is being developed by CWP Renewables, on behalf of Uungula Wind Farm Pty Ltd and CWP Renewables.
Wind Prospect’s 77-turbine Crudine Ridge Wind Farm has been referred to the Planning Assessment Commission for final determination, with a recommendation for approval.