Who Are We?The No Turbine Action Group Inc (NTAG) is a not for profit community group of people from diverse backgrounds who have an affinity with and connection to the rugged wildness and unique cultural landscape of the Highland Lakes area of Tasmania. We are strongly opposed to the inappropriate location of the St Patricks Plains Wind Farm development by Epuron. We are not antidevelopment and support viable renewable energy projects at better sites in Tasmania. Our passion is to protect the remoteness and unique scenery, wildlife, recreational and heritage values of a place in the heart of Tasmania that is special to many from different perspectives and from all parts of the world.
Who Is Epuron? Epuron is not the investor who owns the project but the Company which seeks to gain approvals for wind and solar farm developments around Australia including other projects in Tasmania. Once approved, Epuron on-sells the Development Approval to an investment company, usually foreign, with ownership of essential infrastructure in Australia and profits going offshore.
What does the Project entail? St Patrick’s Plains proposal is an installation of 67 gigantic turbines 240 metres tall (three times the height of Hobart’s Wrest Point Casino) on 10,000ha of land belonging to 6 private landowners. Turbines straddle a large section of the main artery into the Central Highlands (Highland Lakes Rd) including the historic State Reserve Steppes area as well as other Gateway roads to Tasmania’s world-renowned fishing lakes. Twenty-one (21) turbines will be seen from Penstock Lagoon, the “jewel” of the lakes and chosen venue for the 2019 World Fly Fishing Championships. Epuron's plans include the construction of 78km of roads within the wind farm area.
What are Our Concerns?The turbines are too high, too many and too close to Gateways to the Central Highlands. We consider that this is not a suitable location for a large-scale industrial site. It will have a detrimental impact on stunning countryside where magnificent forests merge into treeless plains that contain rare and protected wetland communities. The site has an abundance of wildlife including many endangered or threatened species. There is a loss of scenic and skyline values; a severely diminished fishing experience at Penstock Lagoon; visual, noise and health issues for residents and shack-owners in surrounding communities; compromised heritage values and tourist experience; killing of nationally endangered Wedge-tailed eagles (with 18 known nest sites identified on or near the boundary) and other raptor and migratory bird species; a serious threat to the endangered Tasmanian Devil, the largest carnivorous marsupial in the world; increased fire risks; loss of amenity and property values for residents; as well as a cumulative effect of the nearby, recently commissioned and more suitably sited Cattle Hill Wind Farm owned by Goldwind (with 80% PowerChina, a Chinese state-owned listed enterprise).
