The Project

Gullen Range Wind Farm gained approval as a Major Project in August 2010, under the provisions of the now repealed, Part 3A of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act, 1979. The Project Approval sets out conditions that must be complied with in undertaking the development. These include conditions in respect of construction, operation, decommissioning and various other administrative and community relationship matters.

Wind Farms that were approved under Part 3A are also required to hold an Environmental Protection Licence (EPL). An Environment Protection Licence has been issued by the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) in October 2014.

A project referral was also made under the Commonwealth’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. The decision in relation to the proposed action is that it is ‘Not a Controlled Action’.

Project Approval documents (2008 to 2010)

Key stages in the approval process are set out below with a link to the DPE Major Project Register that displays key planning approval reference documents.

The following documents can be accessed via the link below:

  • Project Application,
  • Environmental Assessment, July 2008,
  • Submissions Report, November 2008
  • Director Generals Assessment Report, March 2009
  • Ministers Project Approval, 26 June 2009
  • Land and Environment Court Orders, 4 August 2010

http://majorprojects.planning.nsw.gov.au/index.pl?action=view_job&job_id=1310

The above link references the original approval documents.

Modification Application (Mod 1 – 2014)

A modification application was also submitted in April 2014 together with an Environmental Assessment (EA), March 2014. The application sought to confirm the acceptability of minor adjustments to the turbine locations. The EA, March 2014 provides relevant assessments of the impacts arising from changes to turbine locations from the indicative approved locations in the Environmental Assessment, 2008, that accompanied the Project Application, 07_0118, to the Final Design locations that have been developed as part of the wind farm design phase. A determination in regards to this modification was made on the 7th September 2015 by the Planning Assessment Commission (PAC).

The link to relevant planning documents associated with the Modification Application is provided below.

http://majorprojects.planning.nsw.gov.au/index.pl?action=view_job&job_id=6470

The key documents that can be accessed via this link are listed below:

  • Modification Application and declaration
  • Environmental Assessment, March 2014
  • Survey Report arranged by DPE to check proponent’s survey details
  • Proponent’s Submissions Report, June 2014
  • DPE the Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Report, July 2014
  • PAC refusal of the Modification Application, October 2014
  • Land and Environment Court set PAC decision aside, March 2015
  • DPE revises Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Report, April 2015
  • PAC determination notice of Modification
  • PAC determination report
  • Modification consolidated conditions

Environment Protection Licence

A Licence Application was lodged with the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) in November 2013 for an Environment Protection Licence (EPL). EPLs are issued under provisions of the Protection of the Environment Operations (POEO) Act, 1997. Wind farms that are approved under (now repealed) Part 3A of the EP&A Act are listed as scheduled activities in Clause 17 of Schedule 1 of the POEO Act, 1997 and must obtain an EPL.

The Environment Protection Licence for Gullen Range Wind Farm (EPL 20365) has been issued by the EPA and is posted on the EPA website. The following link provides access to the final Environmental Protection License.

http://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/prpoeoapp/Detail.aspx?instid=20365&id=20365&option=licence&searchrange=licence&range=POEO licence&prp=no&status=Issued

 

As a holder of an Environmental Protection Licence, Gullen Range Wind Farm is required to maintain a PIRMP document (Pollution Incident Response Management Plan). The PIRMP for the wind farm was tested and updated in January 2016 and the latest version can be downloaded below:

GRWF Pollution Incident Response Management Plan January 2016

 

Section 138 Approval for underground cabling in a road reserve

Approval was also gained under Section 138 of the Roads Act to undertake cabling work on Prices Lane. The work for installation of the underground 33kV cabling has now been completed.