Bowmans Creek Wind Farm
Ark Energy is a signatory to the Clean Energy Council’s Best Practice Charter for Renewable Energy Projects, a voluntary commitment to engage respectfully with communities, be sensitive to environmental and cultural values, and make a positive contribution to the regions in which we operate. We also recognise the importance of earning social licence for the project, which has been defined as a "level of acceptance or approval continually granted to an organisation's operations or project by the local community" (Boutilier and Thomson).
We aim to address concerns in a timely manner and where practicable incorporate community input to deliver improved project outcomes and lasting benefits.
Community Enhancement Fund
The Bowmans Creek Wind Farm will involve a range of benefits to provide a meaningful and lasting contribution to residents and property owners in the local community.
The project involves a Community Enhancement Fund of $686 per installed megawatt, or $3,842 per wind turbine per year, from the start of generation and for the life of the wind farm, indexed to CPI. Based on the proposed layout of 56 wind turbines and an expected operational life of at least 25 years, this amounts to more than $215,000 per year and more than $5.5 million over the life of the project to support local initiatives and projects.
Neighbour Benefits
Neighbour benefit sharing initiatives also ensure that those living within 5 km of wind turbines will receive a direct benefit throughout the operational life the wind farm.
Property owners with a dwelling located within 3.3 km of an installed wind turbine are eligible for a Neighbour Agreement which involves an annual payment based on the number of wind turbines within a 3.3 km radius from their dwelling.
Those with a dwelling between 3.3 km and 5 km from an installed wind turbine (where no other agreement exists) are invited to participate in the project's Neighbour Benefit Program, which offers annual rebates on electricity charges as follows:
- Residents of properties between 3.3 - 4 km from a wind turbine will be eligible for an annual rebate of $1,000 on their household electricity costs.
- Residents of properties between 4 - 5 km from a wind turbine will be eligible for an annual rebate of $500 on their household electricity costs.
Eligibility is subject to the final wind turbine layout, which will be determined following the development approval. Rebates will commence from when the wind farm starts operating. Participation in the program does not prevent residents from expressing their views on the project, privately or publicly, at any time.
Community Consultative Committee
Throughout the planning and assessment phase a Community Consultative Committee (CCC) provided a forum for discussion between the project team and the local community. The Bowmans Creek Wind Farm CCC was active until the end of 2021 and chaired by William Paradice AM. It helped to ensure local residents and stakeholders were:
- Kept informed of the status of the project
- Consulted on plans and proposed changes
- Able to provide feedback on any issues that arose
CCC meeting minutes are available below:
Project updates
Ark Energy issues project update newsletters in both mail and email formats. To sign up for email newsletters register here. To receive newsletters by mail please email the project team with your name, postal address and a request to be added to the mailing list.
Download copies of previous updates via the links below.
Bowmans Creek Community Update - June 2018
Bowmans Creek Community Update 2 - May 2019
Bowmans Creek Community Update 3 - September 2019
Bowmans Creek Community Update 4 - November 2019
Bowmans Creek Wind Farm Update - March 2020
Bowmans Creek Wind Farm Update - July 2020
Bowmans Creek Wind Farm Update - December 2020
Bowmans Creek Wind Farm Update - March 2021
Bowmans Creek Wind Farm Update - October 2021
Bowmans Creek Wind Farm Update - March 2022
Connect
Input from community members is welcome and valued. Questions and comments can be emailed to the project team.