Birds and bats handbook to guide wind developers on minimising threats to species

The Victorian government has released a renewable energy handbook to guide developers on how to “avoid, minimise, mitigate and compensate for impacts on threatened bird and bat species,” as approvals for large-scale wind and solar projects ramp up.

The Handbook for the development of renewable energy in Victoria forms part of a $3.8 billion suite of tools announced last year by the Allan Labor Government in an effort to strike a balance between fast-tracking developments and also preserving wildlife. 

On the fast-tracking side of the equation, the Allan government decided last year to add renewable energy projects to its Development Facilitation Program (DFP) – a move that angered several rural communities.

The decision removed third-party appeals to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) and promised to shorten the entire development application process to just four months.

The expansion of the DFP came off the back of a year where no wind farms were approved in Victoria, a lull the industry said was being exacerbated by “systemic ambiguity within government departments” about biodiversity risks and how they can be avoided, mitigated and managed.

This was exemplified by a series of bizarre decisions, including one from Victorian planning minister, Sonya Kilkenny, who approved a five month moratorium on the construction of a wind farm to accommodate for the Brolga breeding season.

In a statement on Friday, the Allan government said that a total of 13 renewable energy projects had been approved since expanding the DFP, which, once completed, would generate enough power for 330,000 homes annually.

These 13 projects comprise seven solar farms, five BESS projects and one wind farm. Of the five energy storage projects are two proposals from Victoria-based developer Acenergy, with a cumulative capacity of 1.4GWh.  

“Wind and solar energy facilities will lead the transition to clean renewable energy in Victoria,” the handbook says in its introduction. “The large-scale renewable energy projects needed will also impact biodiversity.

“Robust environmental assessments are required to identify impacts and assess options for their avoidance, mitigation or management – particularly for species that are assessed as being most at risk from renewable energy development.”

The handbook is geared at developers of onshore renewables project, as well as responsible authorities and stakeholders who advise developers on their projects.

It is intended to be used alongside the state’s planning and environment rules, to clarify expectations in on managing impacts on threatened bird and bat species, to describe the methods that can be used to manage these impacts, and incorporates specific guidance to manage impacts from wind farms.

“Victoria is home to many valued native plants and animals – we’re making sure they’re protected as we build the state’s renewable energy future,” the minister for environment, Steve Dimopoulos, said on Friday.

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