On 30 July 2024 at a special council meeting in Bothwell, Ark Energy received planning approval for the St Patricks Plains Wind Farm from Central Highlands Council in its capacity as Planning Authority. The approval included environmental conditions set by the Board of the Environment Protection Authority Tasmania (EPA).

The EPA also assessed matters protected under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act), and found “the proposal is capable of being managed in an environmentally acceptable manner”.

The St Patricks Plains Wind Farm has been in development since 2019 and undergone several design iterations including removal of 20 wind turbines to avoid environmental impacts, minimise visual impacts and address community concerns.

The approval was appealed by the No Turbine Action Group and will now be considered by the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (TASCAT) in the first half of 2025.

If the project is approved by TASCAT it will also require final approval from the Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water under the EPBC Act. Work to address EPBC Act requirements is underway.

Ark Energy is committed to supporting local participation. Local businesses and property owners are encouraged to register their interest to provide services and accommodation by emailing their details to the project team. This information will then be added to the project’s interested supplier database. The start of construction is currently targeted for 2026.

To date the project team has received interest from more than 40 Tasmanian-based companies and owners of 50 local properties. We thank the local community for the ongoing support, and the growing list of local residents, suppliers and business owners excited by the opportunity to be part of this project.

The St Patricks Plains Wind Farm Information Centre in Bothwell will be closed from 23 December 2024 and reopen from 10 January 2025 at the usual hours of 10am - 1pm every Friday. In the meantime, questions and feedback are welcome at anytime and can be sent directly to the project team via email.

Thank you to everyone who engaged with the project team this year.

We wish everyone a safe and enjoyable festive season and look forward to updating you again in 2025.

Download the St Patricks Plains Wind Farm Update - December 2024.