Plibersek delays Robbins Island wind farm decision until after election
By Sandy Powell
Topic:Wind Energy
14m ago14 minutes agoFri 7 Mar 2025 at 12:16am
A landscape view, with a beach in the background.
Robbins Island is the site of a planned wind farm, which will co-exist with agricultural uses. (ABC News: Piia Wirsu)
Anyone awaiting a decision on the Robbins Island wind farm will be kept in limbo until after the coming federal election, as a long-awaited resolution has once again been deferred.
Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek has again delayed ruling on whether the 100-turbine wind farm on the Bass Strait island can proceed until at least May.
The deferral decision was expected and pre-empted by several supporters of the project, including Braddon federal Liberal candidate Mal Hingston and state member Felix Ellis.
Ms Plibersek is required to rule whether the wind farm can be constructed by proponent ACEN under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.
The project has been languishing for years in the planning stages and is opposed by wildlife groups concerned about endangered species including the orange-bellied parrot and Tasmanian devils.
The Circular Head Coastal Awareness Network (CHCAN) had appealed against a 2023 decision approving the wind farm's construction to the Supreme Court, which ruled against the group last week.
That was expected to be the final hurdle for the wind farm to clear prior to the decision by the minister, who has already deferred other Tasmanian environmental decisions until after the coming election.
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Posted14m ago14 minutes agoFri 7 Mar 2025 at 12:16am
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