Tasmanian Devil cited in another delay on decision on Australia’s most contentious wind farm

A federal decision on whether Tasmania’s controversial Robbins Island wind farm will go again has been delayed again, with the chief concern this time being about the fate of the Tasmanian Devil.

Environment minister Tanya Plibersek had been due to make a decision on Acen Renewables’ 100 turbine project by December 9, but that has been moved out again to March 7, 2025, the fourth delay already on the 900 megawatt (MW) project since 2022.

“During assessment, the department sought further information from the proponent, Acen, regarding offsets proposed for potential impacts to the endangered Tasmanian Devil,” a spokesperson from the environment department told Renew Economy.

“This information has been submitted by Acen and will be considered as part of the EPBC assessment. “Additional time is needed to work through the complexities involved in this project.”

The project was first referred to the federal government under the EPBC Act in 2017, with a variation accepted in 2019. 

With a federal election due by the end of May and uncertainty over Supreme Court decisions, that date could be pushed out again onto the new federal government.

The Robbins Island wind farm, off north-west Tasmania, is one of the most contested projects in the country, angering both locals and environmentalists, including former Greens leader Bob Brown, because of potential impacts on migratory birds and the path of its proposed transmission link.

It has been subject to numerous legal and court battles, and the project has already been downsized – both in number and size of turbines – but remains the biggest proposed in the state.

It’s been mired in court action since the Tasmanian EPA approved the project in 2022 on condition that it shuts down for five months of the year to protect the critically-endangered Orange-Bellied Parrot when it migrates.

As of 2 December this year, there were 88 of these birds left in existence.

But that approval was followed by several legal challenges, as developer Acen Australia disputed the shutdown requirements and a condition to paint one blade of each turbine black, a device that researchers suggest could prevent bird collisions. 

The shutdown condition was overturned after Acen successfully appealed to the Tasmanian Civil Administrative Tribunal saying a shutdown would make the project financially unviable. 

A counter appeal against the TasCAT decision has since been lodged with the Supreme Court by the community-based Circular Head Coastal Awareness Network.

The Tasmania EPA later confirmed it too would be hitting the Supreme Court to challenge the project, saying the tribunal failed to consider the State Coastal Policy when allowing the construction of a wharf and access through sensitive dunes on the east of the island.

However, its hearing, which was due to start in November, has been deferred to the new year because the judge has ruled himself out over a potential conflict of interest.

The Tasmanian state Liberal government, frustrated by the delays, controversially passed an amendment in November to the law at the heart of the dispute, the State Coastal Policy Bill.

Opponents argued that such a move should wait until after the EPA’s Supreme Court hearing in February. 

Acen Australia also operates what will be the country’s biggest solar farm, the 720 MW New England project in NSW, and is building a neighbouring battery.

It had hoped to tap into the Marinus Link, the new sub-sea cable that will link Tasmania to the mainland, but since that project has been downsized to a single cable questions have been raised by opponents about its financial viability.

Acen Australia did not respond to a request for comment.