Greenleaf buys back wind farm in Queensland despite state’s cancellation of another approved project

Australian renewable energy developer Greenleaf Renewables is doubling down on wind energy in Queensland, despite the cancellation by the state government of a previously approved project.

Greenleaf announced on Monday it is buying the 27-turbine Stony Creek wind project from Enerfin, having watched in May as the new LNP sate government reversed planning approval for the 450 megawatt (MW) Moonlight Range wind project, issued just months earlier.

The Queensland-focused developer appears to be unperturbed by that development, or the announcement of a new energy roadmap, and said it has bought the 166 MW Stony Creek project with the accompanying battery which it is also developing. 

Greenleaf is the developer on the project, which it sold to Spanish company Enerfin in 2023. Norway’s Statkraft bought Enerfin and put some of its global assets up for sale in early 2024. 

The project is 11km west of Biggenden in Queensland’s North Burnett region and inland from Hervey Bay. 

It secured state development and federal environment approvals in 2023.

“Stony Creek has always been an important project for Greenleaf,” said Greenleaf’s Chris Righetti.

“Regaining full ownership allows us to progress it with renewed focus and a long-term view that aligns with our commitment to regional partnerships, responsible development, and local economic opportunity.”

Righetti says they’re focusing on “fostering the relations we’ve already built” and working on the power line approvals needed to connect the project to the Powerlink network 23km to the northeast.

In a statement, the developer made a point of saying that Stony Creek “has been well-received by the surrounding community” since the project was first proposed in 2022.

The reason given by Queensland deputy premier Jarrod Bleijie for cancelling the Moonlight Range project was that too many locals opposed it and claimed there was a lack of community consultation, and work on environmental impacts and bushfire risk.

The decision was called “highly political” by industry and “deeply disheartening” by the landowner.

Stony Creek is currently the only fully approved project in the Greenleaf Renewables portfolio, making it the only one with a possibility of making it through to completion.

Righetti told Renew Economy they’re positive about the prospects for renewables in Queensland and this project in particular. He says they’re still working through what the state’s new energy strategy might do to the feasibility of renewables.

But that still may not be enough to make it feasible to develop, given the number of projects already under construction or in commissioning in the state now which energy minister David Janetzki is factoring into the state’s future energy needs.

The state government’s energy roadmap, released on Friday, effectively closes the door on all new wind and solar projects by choosing instead to prioritise and fund existing coal power stations and new gas peaking plants.

Energy minister David Janetzki says 6.8 gigawatts (GW) of new wind and solar will be operating by 2030, and a further 4.4 GW by 2035.

However, these predictions seem to include 1.6 GW of large wind projects already under construction and commissioning, including the state’s biggest, the partially complete 930 MW MacIntyre wind farm, the 420 MW Clarke Creek wind farm and the 252 MW Wanbo wind project.

Rio alone expects to deliver 3.5 GW of large scale wind and solar (and battery storage) for its Gladstone facilities, to replace the closing coal generator, and the federal government’s capacity Investment Scheme has awarded underwriting agreements to a further 1.9 GW of wind and solar projects.