FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

We’ll follow Queensland State Planning Guidelines to ensure surrounding neighbours and communities benefit from hosting this infrastructure. These guidelines require us to negotiate a community benefit agreement with the Whitsunday Regional Council. We’ll refine this agreement as we engage with surrounding communities, first nations groups and Council during the planning process. We also have a Neighbour Program to ensure near neighbours share the benefits throughout the construction and operational phases.

Find out more here: Clean Energy Council Fact Sheet: The local benefits of renewable energy

The price of your electricity bill is usually made up of a supply charge and a usage charge. The supply charge is the cost to maintain the infrastructure that supplies your house. While the usage charge depends on how much electricity you use, as well as how expensive electricity is when you use it.

The recent CSIRO Gencost Report 24-25 found that the cost range for solar PV and onshore wind energy projects - supported by battery energy storage systems - is the lowest cost of all new-build technologies. This means additional wind and solar generation should result in lower electricity prices over time, which would bring down the usage charge on your bill. We also keep the cost of our projects as low as possible, positioning our projects close to existing energy infrastructure such as large transmission lines.

Australia needs to triple the amount of energy we produce by 2050, according to the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO). This is an opportunity to create lasting jobs in regional Australia, and share the economic rewards of essential new energy infrastructure in more regions.

The economic benefits of renewable energy projects include the increase in local direct and indirect workforces during construction, to ongoing maintenance jobs throughout the life of the wind farm, to the labour involved in decommissioning energy infrastructure.

Find out more: Clean Energy Council Fact Sheet: Renewable energy - powering jobs and regional communities

It’s crucial for developers to find safe and efficient routes to transport oversize/overmass equipment from port to site. These routes are based on detailed studies that consider factors such as turbine tip length, blade size, bridge heights, power line clearances and road condition and other factors. We’ll collaborate with local councils and surrounding communities to find the safest and most appropriate routes, which will be publicly available as we progress through the project’s development.

Wind turbines produce sound, as the blades move through the air and spin a generator to produce electricity. We do detailed studies to make sure all turbines meet strict regulations on audible background noise to avoid negative health effects. Wind turbines also produce low-frequency noise that humans can’t hear. Research by the Australian Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has found there is no direct evidence that this noise adversely impacts human health.

Find out more here: Clean Energy Council Fact Sheet: Wind Turbines and health

Modern wind turbines are equipped with advanced monitoring and fire suppression equipment. However, like all energy infrastructure, wind farms need to follow strict standards to reduce fire risks - and ensure detailed plans are in place in the unlikely event of a failure.

This risk management process begins early in projects, as we consider wind turbine locations and options for emergency responses. And we carefully consider fire risk management - and collaborate with relevant authorities - all the way through the construction and operation of wind farms.

Find out more here: Clean Energy Council Fact Sheet: Fire-resilient Renewable Energy

The Queensland Government’s State Code 23 Planning Guideline requires us to assess the workforce accommodation impacts of our projects. As part of the planning process, we’re also required to do a detailed Social Impact Assessment, which will identify any impacts around the workforce requirements, local business, health and community wellbeing, and housing. Accommodation availability - particularly in the construction phase - is an important part of this assessment and we’re seeking local insights on housing in the area.

We’re required under the Queensland Government’s State Code 23 Planning Guideline to assess the potential aviation impacts of our proposed developments. We recognise the Whitsunday Coast Airport is an important asset to the region, and we’ll need to carefully consider how we’re siting turbines to ensure the safe and efficient running of current and future airport operations.

We’ll also need to consider the compatibility of our turbine locations and transmission infrastructure with aerial spraying and mustering, to ensure current farming practices can continue.