Fremantle community group continue push for wind farm in port

Fremantle

The Fremantle Community Wind Farm group is continuing its push to have a wind energy farm of up to 9.6MW located in the Port of Fremantle, enlisting the support of local council and wind turbine manufacturer Enercon as it fights resistance from the port authority.

The organisation wants to install eight to 12 turbines along the breakwater around Rouse Head Harbour, but the Fremantle Port Authority, which owns the land, has been opposed to the idea.

At a meeting on Thursday, Fremantle mayor Brad Pettitt said the council remained supportive of the project, given its exposure to the “Fremantle Doctor” and the fact that the turbines would be hidden among the port’s infrastructure. The turbines would be around 800kW each, and would be the same height as the existing container cranes on the port. Depending on the number of turbines, the wind farm would have a capacity of between 6.4MW and 9.6MW.

Jørn Kristensen, Enercon’s Senior Sales Manager said he was surprised to hear the Fremantle Port Authority was concerned about operational or social risks to the port.

“We have our wind turbines running at  … at similarly high-profile ports, including at Bristol Port in the UK and the Mucuripe Port Wind Farm in Brazil. And there are many others. These projects have been very successful, and very well received by the local communities.”

Jamie Ally, who is project manager for the Fremantle Community Wind Farm team, said the project is commercially viable and does not require any additional funding from the State government.

“From an engineering point of view the construction of the turbines will be relatively straightforward. However, the management of Fremantle Ports has told us that the port will not allow a wind farm on Port land,” he said.

“It is frustrating to see such a great project, which is proposed to be built on state land at no cost to government, stuck at the gates because it is being blocked by a State Government business.”

See also: Insight: How communities can take lead in clean energy

Comments

5 responses to “Fremantle community group continue push for wind farm in port”

  1. Howard Patrick Avatar
    Howard Patrick

    The West Australian Government hardly wants the masses to be reminded of the possibilities for renewable energy technologies – Carnigie with its wave technology is nearby but at least it is underwater and out of mind.

    1. Danny C Avatar
      Danny C

      It seems to be the pattern of LibNat governments around the country to oppose renewable energy. I think it is because their financial backers are those businesses whose profit margins are being eaten into by renewable electricity. A rhetorical Question. How many lobbyists from coal and gas companies are authorised to lobby our politicians around the clock. Four years ago, there were 21 of these lobby groups able to knock on the door of any Federal politician at Parliament House in Canberra. The ACF was the only environmental group with such access. Not exactly power to the people.

      Looking at the actions in QLD, NSW and Victoria once the LibNats gained power it is not easy to come to the above conclusion. Encouragement to wind and solar in all these states have been curtailed, especially in Victoria where the wind industry is effectively dead.

  2. Gongite Avatar
    Gongite

    A wind farm in Fremantle makes a lot of sense and would add to the interest of the port’s industrial skyline. I wonder exactly what concerns the port authority has expressed. Social risks could probably be shown to be low based on other existing wind farms in similar locations. Operational risks might be harder, depending on the particular issues at the site. In any case the project is presumably being structured to ensure the port authority a nice revenue stream, so it would be financially advantageous for them to agree, and some of the money could be put aside into a ‘risk management’ fund.

    The port currently lives with the ongoing ‘social risks’ of the live sheep trade, with its terrible sights and smells. How dreadful could a few turbines among the cranes be?

  3. Sean Avatar
    Sean

    go through the federal govt. hide as “national security” compulsory acquire land. Give no profits to state government.

  4. Miles Harding Avatar
    Miles Harding

    This is a community promoted and widely supported project that makes financial sense as well as being socially and environmentally responsible.

    It is my understanding is that the wind farm will be owned by institutional and private investors; the people of Fremantle.

    A very similar project has recently been completed in Mount Barker in Western Australia, using Enercon turbines. There are very few unquantified risks associated with wind projects these days.

    One only has to look at the large number of rooftop photovoltaic systems installed to realise that the community is embracing renewable energy sources.

    For many who do not live in single dwellings, the Fremantle Community Wind Farm will represent an opportunity to directly engage in renewable energy.

    It’s surprising how backward some government instruments can be. The Fremantle Port Authority is demonstrating that is it not in step with community values or expectations.

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