W.A. utility faces divided community over proposal for small wind project in south-west corner

Acid soils and birdlife are two of the issues activating locals near the proposed mini, 20 turbine wind project on the Scott River in Western Australia.

SynergyRed, the renewable arms of the state-owned electricity company Synergy, submitting a referral to the state’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) this week after almost two years of feasibility studies on the project.

The referral says the project, 15km northeast of Augusta in the southern bread basket corner of Western Australia, would disturb 107 hectares of land but clear no more than 1 hectare within a 3597 ha footprint. 

The  potential 100 megawatt (MW) project would feature turbines up to 250m tall and connect into South West Interconnected System (SWIS) via the existing 132 kV Beenup to Manjimup transmission line. 

The current proposal for turbine sites at Scott River. Image: Synergy

It’s been the focus of an active campaign to try to stop it, to the point where Synergy alerted the police in December last year to possible disruptions at a public forum. 

A social attitudes report, attached to the EPA referral, conducted in early 2024 when Synergy began investigating the feasibility of a Scott River project, found the community was already very divided over the idea. 

Half of respondents to a survey were “extremely supportive” and a third were not supportive at all, with the negative sentiment capturing more people living closer to the proposed site.

Based on the numerous daily comments on the No Wind Turbines – Scott River Facebook group from a range of accounts, that opposition may have hardened further. 

Access to reliable electricity is a big factor for locals, with local government representatives, community members and landowners saying they want to see improved local power infrastructure and bill rebates if a project goes ahead. 

Synergy says electricity from the proposed wind farm would power homes in nearby Augusta, Scott River, Molloy Island and several other communities, before going into the rest of the energy grid.

One of the concerns raised is also the impact on local and migratory birds, given the region is a popular stop over point.

A two-year bird and bat study, lodged with the EPA referral, found 29 conservation significant species potentially used the site.

Based on the risk assessment conducted for these species, three were considered at moderate risk of impact from the project, Forest Red-tailed Black Cockatoo, Baudin’s Cockatoo and Carnaby’s Cockatoo,” the study by Phoenix Environmental Services said.

“While the risk to most species is considered low to negligible, the data suggests that raising the minimum blade height to 50 m above ground-level would substantially reduce the risk to most species, including black cockatoos, leading to a 54 per cent reduction in species flying within the RSA [rotor swept area] and just 3.8 per cent of flights occurring within the RSA. 

As well as raising the minimum blade height, collision risk could be further reduced by limiting the concentration of turbines and maintaining a sufficient separation distance, approximately 100 m, between turbines and important habitat, to maintain adequate open areas for bird and bat movement.”

Synergy says the turbines will have a maximum tip height of 250m, with an expected RSA of a minimum of 40 m above ground level, but the final design depends on what geotechnical reports say about the subsurface. 

The other popular fear is what impact disturbing the region’s acid-sulphate soils might have on the local ecology. 

Acid-sulfate soils occur naturally in the region within about 3 metres of the surface and when they’re exposed can cause surface acidification – a problem seen at the BHP Beenup Titanium Mineral Sands mine in the 90s which led to a costly rehabilitation program. 

“The legacy of the BHP Beenup Titanium Mineral Sands mine is evident… In some ways, it appears to have raised understanding of the natural values in the region. However, the short-lived mine has also created some skepticism that significant developments could have a greater impact than initially anticipated or shared by the developer,” the attitudes survey by ID Consultants says.

Preliminary work by Synergy says it’s going in forewarned, with dewatering plans and a proposal to either ship any acid soils to facilities for treatment or heavy use of lime to counteract the sulphates.