PLANNING
Planning and developing Mt Fyans Wind Farm
The Mt Fyans Wind Farm project is currently progressing through its planning approvals stage.
In 2018, the project submitted a planning permit application under Victoria’s Planning and Environment Act 1987 and the Moyne Shire Planning Scheme following the completion of extensive environmental, technical and heritage surveys in the proposed project area.
Following submission of the project’s planning application, the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) advised the project that additional environmental studies were required.
The project was referred to the Commonwealth Government’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act, due to the presence of the Southern Bent-wing Bat and 21 other listed species or communities that are Matters of National Environmental Significance (MNES).
Further studies were conducted to support both this assessment and satisfaction of the Victorian Planning Minister’s decision that an Environmental Effects Statement was not required.
Once environmental studies required for both processes are complete, the amended planning application will be submitted, and both sets of documents will be assessed before the project is publicly exhibited by DELWP.
Public comment
Public Exhibition provides the public and project stakeholders an opportunity to review and provide feedback on the proposed project. As part of DELWP’s planning approvals process, a third-party expert panel will be appointed to conduct a public hearing and review the project.
This expert panel will review any written submissions, hear in-person submissions, consider expert witnesses, consider planning and other laws and provide a report to the Minister for Planning to inform their decision for the project to proceed.