The Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) has approved Ark Energy’s St Patricks Plains Wind Farm, proposed for the Central Highlands region of Tasmania.

The approval from DCCEEW follows planning approval from the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (TASCAT) in September 2025, after the planning permit issued by Central Highlands Council in July 2024 was appealed by an opposition group.

The project was referred to DCCEEW under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) in 2019 and determined to be a controlled action due to potential impacts on listed threatened species and communities (sections 18 and 18A). The assessment was completed under the bilateral agreement between the Tasmanian and Commonwealth Governments, and DCCEEW’s final approval follows its acceptance of a variation lodged in November 2025, aligning the proposal with the final version approved by TASCAT.

Over the course of its development the project’s layout was revised several times, with changes made based on collated data from two years of eagle utilisation surveys, the results of environmental surveys and technical studies, and community feedback, particularly around visual amenity.

Key changes listed in the variation included a reduction in the number of wind turbines from 67 to 47, refinement of the layout, inclusion of a small battery energy storage system (BESS) and installation of the Identiflight curtailment system to minimise potential impacts to wedge-tailed eagles.

Ecological assessment work also found that some species identified in the original referral either did not occur within the site or were not at risk of impact.

The project must be undertaken in accordance with the conditions specified in the approval.

Ark Energy’s General Manager Development for Tasmania, Donna Bolton said the Commonwealth’s decision was welcomed, noting that significant work had been undertaken to avoid and minimise potential environmental impacts.

“This is a major milestone for the project and we are proud of the many design refinements that have been made to avoid and minimise potential environmental impacts, so the unavoidable impacts are manageable as shown by the Environment Protection Agency Tasmania’s report and DCCEEW’s decision,” Ms Bolton said.

“The Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagle in particular has been a key species of focus. Major design revisions have been made to avoid areas used by eagles and the Identiflight curtailment system will be installed to achieve full coverage across the site and minimise collision risk.”

St Patricks Plains Wind Farm is Ark Energy’s first project in Tasmania to achieve primary approvals.

The project has planning approval for a wind farm of up to 47 wind turbines with a generation capacity of up to 300 megawatts (MW), and ancillary infrastructure. It will generate enough electricity to power ~131,000 average-sized Australian households per year. In 2022, the project was the subject of a petition of support by local residents looking forward to the environmental, economic and community benefits it can deliver. Construction is due to commence in early 2027 and the wind farm is targeted to be operational in 2030.

“Special thanks to Tasmania’s ERA Advisory and North Barker Ecosystem Services for their input to help secure DCCEEW’s approval,” Ms Bolton said.

“We thank our landowners and community members for their patience and support, and look forward to providing more information in due course to the growing list of residents, suppliers and business owners excited by the opportunity to be part of this project. We will continue to seek to minimise environmental impacts, be a good neighbour, and deliver meaningful benefits to the local community and wider region as the project progresses.”

DCCEEW’s approval decision notice with final conditions is available from the St Patricks Plains Wind Farm page in the EPBC Act Public Portal (EPBC Number 2019/8497)

Planning and assessment documentation including the project’s Environmental Impact Statement is available from the project’s page in the Environment Protection Authority Tasmania’s website.