Draft National Wind Farm Development Guidelines - July 2010

The studies and community consultation undertaken at each stage should focus on
addressing specific issues that may arise before proceeding to the next stage.
The stages in the table have been colour-coded to reflect the level of commitment and
investment the proponent is willing to make at that stage of the project.
• purple - being a high level of uncertainty that the project will proceed
• amber - being a moderate level of uncertainty
• green - being a low level of uncertainty.
Whilst these are presented as distinct stages, there is also likely to be some overlap
between stages depending on the processes adopted by the proponent, and issues
surrounding the specific project, local planning provisions and processes, and the
proponent’s timeframe for progressing its development portfolio.
4.1.3 Site selection
Regional site selection
Regional site selection normally involves a desktop study focussing on the wind resource,
generally by checking national or state wind atlases and proximity to an adequate
electricity network.
Major incompatible land use activities, such as urban areas, national parks, culturally
significant sites, sensitive ecosystems and habitats (among others), should be avoided at
this stage.
Some states/regions have policy initiatives to assist wind farm developments and may
have produced wind atlases and guides to help identify potential areas for wind
development. Refer to the relevant state or territory agency to source these tools.
Local site identification
Assessment of property-specific locations within identified wind resource areas includes
factors such as the geography and topography of the site, the size of the properties and
the proximity to electrical and road networks. The local site assessment provides an
indication of how many wind turbines and of what size may be possible. This also forms the
basis for a broad economic analysis.
As a number of wind farm sites may have been developed, be under construction or
approved in the area it is important to consider the greater potential for cumulative
impacts to increase community interest and add competition for network access.
Local site identification can mostly be done via a desktop study. A visit to the area to
better understand site characteristics, road quality, power lines, and the general location
of houses should be done as a final check to decide whether to proceed to the next
stage.
The final step is identifying properties that should be considered further in the high-level risk
assessment to ascertain possible boundaries and a preliminary layout for detailed
investigation and discussion with the landowners and community.
Preparation of a preliminary communication and consultation Plan, to support the
activities for the high level risk assessment process 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.
Page 18 Draft National Wind Farm Development Guidelines – 2 July 2010