FAQs
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The Project
Where is the project?
The project is located at Lotus Creek in the Central Queensland, west of St Lawrence. The project site is on Barada Barna Country and Barada Kabalbara Yetimarala Country.
How big is the project?
The project will consist of up to 46 wind turbines with a combined maximum capacity of up to 285 MW.
Who’s involved in building and operating the Lotus Creek Wind Farm?
CS Energy
In August 2024 CS Energy acquired the Lotus Creek Wind Farm from Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners. CS Energy is a Queensland-owned and based energy company that employs almost 700 people and provides power to some of the state’s biggest industries and employers. CS Energy will operate the Lotus Creek Wind Farm once construction is complete.
Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners
Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) is the world’s largest dedicated investor in greenfield clean energy infrastructure. CIP have been involved with the Lotus Creek Wind Farm since 2022 and have been engaged by CS Energy to manage construction of the Project.
Construction partners – Vestas Zenviron Consortium
Construction of the Lotus Creek Wind Farm will be delivered by a consortium comprised of Vestas and Zenviron.
Vestas
Vestas is a significant wind turbine manufacturer in the global renewable energy sector. Vestas were involved in the development of the project and will supply and install the wind turbines for the Lotus Creek Wind Farm.
Zenviron
Zenviron is an Australian construction company that specialises in constructing electrical and civil infrastructure for large renewable energy projects in Australasia. The will deliver the civil and electrical supporting infrastructure, and the temporary accommodation camp for the Lotus Creek Wind Farm.
How tall will the wind turbines be?
The project will utilise Vestas Enventus turbines, with a hub height of 149m and a maximum blade tip height of 230m.
Project Construction
How long will it take to build the wind farm?
We expect to begin construction in late 2024, subject to secondary approvals, with operations expected in 2027.
Will water be required and where will it be sourced from?
We understand that water is a critically important issue for the local community. During construction, water will be required for concrete batching and potentially for dust suppression. We will source water from local supplies, subject to availability and within the constraints of the development consent for the project.
Once the wind farm is constructed, water will only be required to meet domestic/personal requirements for maintenance staff.
Project Impacts
Will there be an impact to flora and fauna?
The Lotus Creek Wind Farm has been designed to minimise the impact to local flora and fauna by avoiding areas of high conservation significance.
Throughout development, we engaged specialist consultants to undertake detailed flora and fauna surveys of the site. Detailed desktop and field surveys have been conducted to establish the ecological attributes of the land. Field surveys were conducted across wet and dry seasons.
The results of the surveys and the resulting proposed mitigation measures are documented in the project’s Development Application and were assessed by the QLD State Assessment and Referral Agency as part of the project’s development consent.
The project must abide by strict best practice control measures to minimise impacts to biodiversity and will set aside an environmental offset area of 4,500 hectares within the project site, which equates to more than 10 times the project’s clearing footprint.
To ensure that construction stays within the approved clearing footprint, the project is using controls such as on-site surveys, GPS tracking on machinery onsite, physical and GPS flagging of protected areas and satellite imagery.
How is wildlife managed on site?
Qualified wildlife handlers are on site during any activities involving the clearing of vegetation. The environmental management plan for the project stipulates that any koala found within the project area will have a minimum 30 metre exclusion zone applied and be left undisturbed for at least 24 hours to give it time to move out of the area. If it hasn’t moved, the same process repeats until it has moved.
Will there be an impact to cultural heritage?
Lotus Creek Wind Farm has consulted with local Aboriginal groups and other stakeholders during project development and design. We have also worked with specialist consultants to assess potential impacts related to cultural heritage and advise how to mitigate these impacts. At all times, the project will be developed in compliance with laws regarding the protection of cultural heritage.
Are there any health risks associated with wind farms?
According to the World Wind Energy Association, over 650 gigawatts (GW) of wind energy capacity had been installed through the end of 2019 representing several hundred thousand wind turbines globally. Numerous reviews of research literature conducted by leading health and research organisations from all over the world have concluded that there is no published evidence to positively link wind turbines with adverse health effects.
In February 2015, the Australian National Health and Medical Research Centre (NHMRC) released a statement providing advice to the community and policymakers on the issue. The NHMRC concluded that there is currently no consistent evidence that wind farms cause adverse health effects in humans. The NHMRC statement is available here.
Will there be an impact to property values?
Several studies have examined the potential impacts of wind farms on property values, including Review of the Impact of Wind Farms on Property Values (Urbis, 2016) available here; and Assessment of the Impact of Wind Farms on Surrounding Land Values in Australia (Preston Rowe Paterson, 2013) available here.
These studies have found no evidence to conclude that wind farms can be linked to adverse impacts on property values.
Do wind farms impact livestock?
Most wind farms have been built in rural communities where livestock grazing is common, and no adverse impacts have been reported. Livestock have often been observed using the turbine towers for shade in the summer and for shelter from wind and rain.
Wind farms complement grazing and other agricultural activities. The turbines occupy only a small amount of land, and landowners can continue their practices whilst the wind farm is operating.
The income provided to landowners hosting wind farm infrastructure can help make farms more resilient to the impacts of drought or bushfires.
Project Benefits
How will the community benefit from the project?
The project will deliver significant benefits to the region and local communities, including:
- Opportunities for local contractors and businesses
- Up to 400 new jobs expected to be created during construction
- Around 10-15 long-term service and maintenance jobs created during project operation
- Development of new skilled labour in the region within the growing renewable energy industry
As the project progresses, we will gather input from the local community and stakeholders to best understand local priorities and develop an appropriate structure for a community benefit fund to be associated with this project.
How many jobs will the project create?
The project will create up to 400 new jobs during construction. Around 10-15 long-term service and maintenance jobs will be created during project operation. Construction and operation of the project will require a range of skills including engineering, trades (electrical, mechanical, construction), transport, building material providers, equipment operators, consultants and administrative staff.
Wind Energy
How do wind turbines work?
Wind turbines are designed to convert wind into mechanical energy through rotation of the turbine blades. The mechanical energy is converted into electricity via a generator in the nacelle, which is the housing at the top of the wind turbine tower. Energy generated in the nacelle is transformed to high voltage and sent to the grid.
The energy generated by a wind turbine is proportional to the swept area of the blades; in other words, the longer the turbine blades, the more energy a turbine will generate. In addition, the generation potential of a turbine is proportional to the cube of the wind speed. In fact, a doubling of the wind speed will potentially generate 8x as much energy! Because wind speed is so important to energy generation, it is very important to place turbines in areas of high and consistent winds in order to achieve the lowest cost of power generation. The St Lawrence area is considered to be an area with a strong, consistent and viable wind resource.
How long will the wind farm operate?
Wind farms are typically assumed to operate for 25-30 years. At the end of this period, it may be possible to replace some of the equipment and extend the project for a further period (this will require a new development approval). If a new development approval is not sought and granted, the wind farm infrastructure will be removed at the end of this period and the site will be rehabilitated in accordance with the conditions of development consent.
Are wind turbines recycled?
Today around 85% to 90% of a wind turbine's total mass can be readily recycled. On average, the wind industry generates significantly less composite waste than most other sectors. This includes transport, electronics and building sectors.