![Cattle grazing on the proposed Wooroora Station Wind Farm site, south west of Ravenshoe. Picture supplied by Ark Energy Cattle grazing on the proposed Wooroora Station Wind Farm site, south west of Ravenshoe. Picture supplied by Ark Energy](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/UdNE97Se3RqCx9C2EmYtgx/1dc7130c-76e1-4afb-a58c-e9d81303b7c7.jpg/r0_0_6747_4498_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
A proposed wind farm in North Queensland has shed its controversial name and responded to environmental concerns with a drastic redesign that halves its size.
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The former Chalumbin Wind Farm has been renamed Wooroora Station Wind Farm, after its host property Wooroora Pastoral Station, a large cattle-grazing property, and has undergone a drastic redesign in response to concerns about the visual and construction impacts on the property, which is located next to national parks that form part of the Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Area.
Forty-four of 86 wind turbines have been removed, halving the size of the project, and leaving a layout of 42 wind turbines.
![Map showing design changes. Map supplied by Ark Energy Map showing design changes. Map supplied by Ark Energy](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/UdNE97Se3RqCx9C2EmYtgx/9c18e5f5-7034-4a5d-b2ce-ca3c8a8b987a.png/r0_0_2480_3503_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The new design includes a minimum buffer of 1 km to neighbouring World Heritage areas, and completely avoids wet sclerophyll forest adjoining the World Heritage Area as well as all known magnificent brood frog habitat.
A comprehensive nature positive plan includes rehabilitation of most of the construction disturbance and the establishment of magnificent brood frog nature reserves totalling 1,255 hectares.
It also includes First Nations-led fire management and control of widespread feral pests (pigs, dogs, and cats) and invasive weeds, to improve the host property's habitat for key species including the northern greater glider, masked owl, and spectacled flying-fox.
Ark Energy general manager development for Queensland, Anthony Russo, said the changes reduce the impacts to very low levels.
"We believe the benefits to the natural environment of this project far outweigh its impacts. Not least of them more clean energy into the grid in a relatively short time period and a significant improvement in habitat for protected species on private land adjacent to protected forests," Mr Russo said.
"After extensive public consultation, we have listened to feedback from the community, government, and the traditional owners, and made changes to the project to meet expectations.
"We look forward to working with all key stakeholders to achieve positive outcomes and we are committed to getting this project right from the outset and delivering on world's best practice in the energy sector.
"We must navigate the tension between the construction required to transition to a clean energy system and protecting nature, and this project's evolution offers an excellent case study of major design iterations to achieve nature positive outcomes."
![Cattle grazing on the proposed Wooroora Station Wind Farm site, south west of Ravenshoe. Picture supplied by Ark Energy Cattle grazing on the proposed Wooroora Station Wind Farm site, south west of Ravenshoe. Picture supplied by Ark Energy](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/UdNE97Se3RqCx9C2EmYtgx/17d2cd41-d26d-488d-9a3d-fb8df363221f.jpg/r539_0_3372_1597_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
After rehabilitation of the temporary construction disturbance the wind farm would have an operational footprint of approximately 57.6 hectares.
The proposed wind farm is now entirely within Wooroora Pastoral Station, which contains existing access tracks, a substation and high voltage transmission lines.
The initial construction disturbance of 509.7 ha (no construction during wet season months) and operational footprint after rehabilitation of 57.6 ha.
Once completed, the 42 wind turbines will have a generation capacity of 294 mega watts, which would be connected to the existing 275 kV transmission line on the property.
Mr Russo said it is hoped that the new name will also help to address a misunderstanding that the development could impact a nearby wilderness area also known as 'Chalumbin'.
"Some opponents took advantage of the former name to spread misinformation and make unsubstantiated claims about what kind of habitat and species are in the project area and therefore the environmental impacts of the development," Mr Russo said.
"The reality is the project is not within the World Heritage area and it is important that the project is represented accurately and the public have the facts."
A variation has been lodged with the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, which is currently assessing the proposal.
Katter's Australian Party has opposed the wind farm, attending the Keep Chalumbin Wild rally at Ravenshoe in May, which lobbied federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek to reject the renewable energy project on environmental grounds.
Kennedy MP Bob Katter said at the time they were united to "protect our nature wonderland. We will not allow the destruction of our forests' wildlife, for what - maybe a 15 or 20-year life in these wind turbines."
Atherton Tablelands advocate Matt Lachlan is among those strongly opposing the project, setting up the stopchalumbinwindfarm.com website in 2021 and saying the development would lead to severe wildlife fragmentation with a maze of roads and infrastructure.
Ark Energy's development application received conditional approval from the state government in August last year, and federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek is due to hand down her decision shortly.
On the weekend, Jirrbal Elder Bradley Go-Sam came out in strong support of the project, saying he was representing the First Nations people who have authorised an Indigenous Land Use Agreement for the Chalumbin Wind Farm site.
"It will bring opportunity for our Peoples and will help improve land that is now covered in weeds and pests," he said, adding that he believed there had been a lot of misinformation spread in the media, which he aimed to correct.
He said the Chalumbin Wind Farm project took into account their views to make sure it protected his peoples' sites of significance, and said the ILUA and cultural heritage management agreement allowed them to access Wooroora Station, currently not available to them.
He said Wooroora Station and the other property involved, Glen Gordon Station, contain culturally sensitive sites, which are avoided by the proposed wind farm development.
Future-proofing opportunity
Wooroora Station, formerly Blunder Park, is managed by Robert McDowall and his wife, and they have given their support to the project, seeing it as an opportunity to future-proof the property while also securing better access to their higher country.
![Wooroora Station manager Robert McDowall surveys country part of the proposed Chalumbin wind farm will be built on. Picture supplied. Wooroora Station manager Robert McDowall surveys country part of the proposed Chalumbin wind farm will be built on. Picture supplied.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/UdNE97Se3RqCx9C2EmYtgx/53dfbfe9-14c8-4479-a0c1-93b762622a49.jpg/r0_0_904_508_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The 14,500 hectare property grazes up to 1200 head of commercial Brahman cattle on sclerophyll forest country and is slated to host up to 60 turbines.
Mr McDowall and the property's owners support the Jirrbal Peoples' request to access their property, as long as they don't interfere with their day-to-day cattle operations.
"The Jirrbal people, like anyone who enters our property with biosecurity, have got to obtain permission to come on to our property," Mr McDowall said.
"If the proposed wind farm is approved and the Jirrbal people are able to check out their culturally sensitive sites, it's not going to give them any more access than what they've already got.
"As far as the cultural areas, they don't know where they are at the moment, they're out here now and they're currently going around looking for anything, which would show cultural significance."