Protecting Tasmanian native wildlife will be the focus today of the Granville Harbour Wind Farm project, taking us one step closer to reaching full self-sufficiency in renewables by 2022.
Representatives from the Granville Harbour Wind Farm, Vestas, Rex Andrews Transport and our Transport Safety escort officers took part in a native wildlife orientation at Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary.
It is all part of the commitment by these companies to respect our natural heritage and native wildlife, and builds on the extensive native wildlife protection plans they already have in place.
Massive heavy vehicle loads carrying wind farm tower components are set to travel between Burnie and the Granville Harbour site in coming months, with 372 loads expected to make the trip along remote and often winding roads in the North West.
The Hodgman Liberal Government and those involved in the wind farms are acutely aware of the need to take all precautions to protect our native wildlife, including Tasmanian Devils and the Spotted-Tail Quolls.
With loads measuring up to 67 metres long and some weighing almost 150 tonnes there are inherent risks to making these big, but necessary moves. Today’s orientation session is to ensure everyone involved in the project has a good understanding of the native wildlife that may be encountered, their natural behaviours and practical steps that can be taken to minimise the chance of animals being injured during the movement of the wind farm infrastructure.
Granville Harbour alone is a major investment in Tasmania with $280 million going into the project which will support around 200 jobs during construction and 10 more once in operation.
With Granville Harbour and Cattle Hill wind farms under construction, and Robbins Island and Jim’s Plain in the pipeline, more than 350 construction jobs have already been injected into regional communities with more than 400 construction jobs and 60 ongoing roles on the table, providing a huge boost for our North West and West Coast communities.
Projects like these are an important part of the Hodgman Liberal Government’s plans for Tasmania’s renewable energy future which will drive billions in investment, create thousands of jobs and pave the way for Tasmania to become the Battery of the Nation.
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