Draft National Wind Farm Development Guidelines - July 2010

The site selection process concludes by identifying properties that should be considered
further in the high-level risk assessment to ascertain a boundary and a preliminary layout
for detailed investigation and discussion with the community.
Preparation of a preliminary Communication and Consultation Plan, to support stakeholder
consultation activities for the High Level Risk Assessment process (Sub-Stage S3) should
commence at this time. The Plan may include discussion with the local planning authority
in order to obtain further background information on the site/s investigated. This can assist
in determining the appropriateness of the site/s for wind farm development.
High-level risk assessment (S3)
At this stage the assessment is designed to provide a high-level, preliminary overview of the
likelihood of critical impediments that may prevent the development from proceeding.
From the broad overview of the major issues of the site the regulatory approvals context
should be mapped out identifying what consents/permits are likely to be required at:
• Commonwealth level - through the operation of the Environmental Protection and
Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). This should consider EPBC Act Policy
Statement 2.3 (2009) Wind farm industry, which is designed to provide detailed
guidance to assist wind farm proponents decide whether or not they should submit a
referral under the EPBC Act
• State/territory - level through the state/territory legislation (most state/territory’s have
an assessment threshold in terms of energy generation capacity).
• Local level through the local planning/development processes (often containing
triggers related to matters differing from the state/territory assessment process).
This stage should also map the stakeholders, processes and timeframes for the approvals
pathway. Commonwealth, state/territory and/or local planning requirements and
assessment processes will need to be identified in discussion with their planning authorities.
Consideration should also be given to how state/territory agencies may support the
assessment of planning applications submitted to local governments.
The outcome of this process is to identify an initial group of landowners who may be
approached regarding land access, wind monitoring and options for longer term land use.
Negotiations with landowners should commence in accordance with the preliminary
Communication and Consultation Plan. The detailed Project Communication and
Consultation Plan should be drafted outlining the objectives of the consultation program
for the development stages.
Following the outcomes of the risk assessment process, and decision to progress
investigations at this site, initial communications with the broader community should begin.
This should occur through a formal announcement in numerous publicly accessible forums
of intentions to progress wind farm development investigations.
Project Sub-stages
Activities to be Undertaken
Site Selection
S1
Regional Site
Selection
Purpose:
To identify the general locality in which to site a potential wind farm.
Activity:
Assess via desktop study:
• broad regional wind resource
• proximity to electrical network
• high-level critical impacts (e.g. urban areas, national parks,
culturally significant sites, sensitive ecosystems and habitats).
Consultation:
Nil. Proponent to conduct background research on local area,
including any previous community experiences with wind farm
Page 184 Draft National Wind Farm Development Guidelines – 2 July 2010